Wherefore
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
Wherefore in dreams are sorrows born anew,
A healed wound opened, or the past revived?
Last night in my deep sleep I dreamed of you –
Again the old love woke in me, and thrived
On looks of fire, and kisses, and sweet words
Like silver waters purling in a stream,
Or like the amorous melodies of birds:
A dream – a dream.
Again upon the glory of the scene
There settled that dread shadow of the cross
That, when hearts love too well, falls in between –
That warns them of impending woe and loss.
Again I saw you drifting from my life,
As barques are rudely parted in a stream;
Again my heart was torn with awful strife:
A dream –a dream.
Again the deep night settled on me there,
Alone I groped, and heard strange waters roll.
Lost in that blackness of supreme despair
That comes but once to any living soul.
Alone, afraid, I called your name aloud –
Mine eyes, unveiled, beheld white stars agleam,
And lo! awake, I cried, “Thank God, thank God,
A dream –a dream.”
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 90 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababcdcd efefgdgD hihixdxD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 986 |
Words | 186 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"Wherefore" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10999/wherefore>.
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