Analysis of Nellie Lost and Found
Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)
Ten o'clock! the rain begins to fall,
And Nellie still from home!
Vainly now, her loving name we call,
Oh whither does she roam!
Can it be she wanders from the street,
Thro' the wood to find her lonely way,
Bless the child! I fear her little feet
Have carried her astray.
Wake the boys to search for Nellie!
Stay not for the dawn;
Who shall sleep when from the mother's fold
One little lamb is gone.
Eleven of o'clock! the little brothers wait,
Still hoping her return;
Peeping through the lattice of the gate,
Their darling to discern.
Weary now they turn them to the door,
While their tears, for lips that now are dumb,
Ask the question often asked before,
Oh mother will she come!
Twelve o'clock! and in the forest wild,
What terrors rule the hour!
Who can tell what foe surround the child,
Or shield her from their power.
Storm face and torrents to be cross'd,
Beasts of prey that in the darkness roam;
Would to God that only I were lost,
And Nellie safe at home!
One o'clock! methinks I hear a voice,
With tidings in its tone!
Does it bid this trembling heart rejoice,
Or sorrow makes it known.
Still I heard that midnight echo stirr'd,
Surely too, it bears a joyful sound;
Praise the Lord! a mother's pray'r is heard,
The darling one is found!
Through the wood the midnight echoes
Bear a joyful sound;
Praise the Lord! a mother's pray'r is heard,
The darling one is found.
Scheme | ababcdcd xexe fgfghihi jkjklblb mnmnopOP xpOP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (23%) |
Metre | 101010111 010111 101010111 110111 111110101 101110101 101110101 110001 10111110 11101 111110101 110111 010101010101 110001 101010101 110101 101111101 111111111 101010101 110111 101000101 1101010 111110101 1101110 11010111 111100101 111110101 010111 10111101 110011 1111100101 110111 11111101 101110101 1010101111 010111 1010110 10101 1010101111 010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,347 |
Words | 257 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 178 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:20 min read
- 120 Views
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