The Wife-Blessed
James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)
I.
In youth he wrought, with eyes ablur,
Lorn-faced and long of hair--
In youth--in youth he painted her
A sister of the air--
Could clasp her not, but felt the stir
Of pinions everywhere.
II.
She lured his gaze, in braver days,
And tranced him sirenwise;
And he did paint her, through a haze
Of sullen paradise,
With scars of kisses on her face
And embers in her eyes.
III.
And now--nor dream nor wild conceit--
Though faltering, as before--
Through tears he paints her, as is meet,
Tracing the dear face o'er
With lilied patience meek and sweet
As Mother Mary wore.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 42 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AAAAAA BBBXXX CACACA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 555 |
Words | 106 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
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"The Wife-Blessed" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21135/the-wife-blessed>.
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