The Dead To The Living Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCDCEFGHIEJEKLMLNO POQRSRTUEUCVVVWXPK YZA2ZVB2VB2VC2D2C2E2 F2G2F2B2H2I2H2G2VSV J2EK2EVL2B2L2M2B2N2B 2OO2P2O2Q2VVVR2FMFQV C N2 ZLS2MS2

Work while it is day the night cometh when no man can workA
-
IN the childhood of April while purple woodsB
With the young year's blood in them smiledC
I passed through the lanes and the wakened fieldsD
And stood by the grave of the childC
And the pain awoke that is never deadE
Though it sometimes sleeps and againF
It set its teeth in this heart of mineG
And fastened its claws in my brainH
For it seemed so hard that the little handsI
And the little well loved headE
Should be out of reach of my living lipsJ
And be side by side with the deadE
Not side by side with us who had lovedK
But with these who had never seenL
The grace of the smile the gold of the hairM
And the eyes of my baby queenL
Yet with trees about where the brown birds buildN
And with long green grass aboveO
-
-
She lies in the cold sweet breast of earthP
Beyond the reach of our loveO
Whatever befalls in the coarse loud worldQ
We know she will never wakeR
When I thought of the sorrow she might have knownS
I was almost glad for her sakeR
Tears might have tired those kiss closed eyesT
Grief hardened the mouth I kissedU
I was almost glad that my dear was deadE
Because of the pain she had missedU
Oh if I could but have died a childC
With a white child soul like hersV
As pure as the wind flowers down in the copseV
Where the soul of the spring's self stirsV
Or if I had only done with it allW
And might lie by her side unmovedX
I envied the very clods of earthP
Their place near the child I lovedK
-
-
And my soul rose up in revolt at lifeY
As I stood dry eyed by her graveZ
When sudden the grass of the churchyard sodA2
Rolled back like a green smooth waveZ
The brown earth looked like the brown sea rocksV
The tombstones were white like sprayB2
And white like surf were the curling foldsV
Of the shrouds where the dead men layB2
For each in his place with his quiet faceV
I saw the dead lie lowC2
Who had worked and suffered and found life sadD2
So many sad years agoC2
Unchanged by time I saw them lieE2
As when first they were laid to restF2
The tired eyes closed the sad lips stillG2
And the work worn hands on the breastF2
There were some who had found the green world so greyB2
They had left it before their timeH2
And some were little ones like my dearI2
And some had died in their primeH2
And some were old they had had their fillG2
Of bitter unfruitful hoursV
And knew that none of them none had knownS
A flower of a hope like oursV
-
-
Through their shut eyelids the dead looked upJ2
And without a voice they saidE
'We lived without hope without hope we diedK2
And hopeless we lie here deadE
And death is better than life that drawsV
Pain in as it draws in breathL2
If life never dreams of a coming dayB2
When life shall not envy deathL2
Through the dark of our hours and our times we livedM2
Uncheered by a single rayB2
Of such hope as lightens the lives of youN2
Who are finding life hard to dayB2
With our little lanterns of human loveO
We lighted our dark warm nightO2
But you in the chill of the dawn are setP2
With your face to the eastern lightO2
Freedom is waiting with hands held outQ2
Till you tear the veil from her faceV
And when once men have seen the light of her eyesV
And felt her divine embraceV
The light of the world will be risen indeedR2
And will shine in the eyes of menF
And those who come after will find life fairM
And their lives worth living thenF
Will you strive to the light in your loud rough worldQ
That these things may come to passV
Or lie in the shadow beside the childC
And strive to the sun through the grass '-
-
-
'My world while I may ' I cried 'but youN2
Whose lives were as dark as your grave '-
'We too are a part of the coming light '-
They called through the smooth green waveZ
Their white shrouds gleamed as the flood of greenL
Rolled over and hid them from meS2
Hid all but the little hands and the hairM
And the face that I always seeS2

Edith Nesbit



Rate:
(1)



Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme

Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation


Write your comment about The Dead To The Living poem by Edith Nesbit


 

Recent Interactions*

This poem was read 4 times,

This poem was added to the favorite list by 0 members,

This poem was voted by 0 members.

(* Interactions only in the last 7 days)

New Poems

Popular Poets