Analysis of Saint Elizabeth Of Bohemia

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik 1826 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) – 1887 (Shortlands, London)



I NEVER lay me down to sleep at night
But in my heart I sing that little song:
The angels hear it as, a pitying throng,
They touch my burning lids with fingers bright
As moonbeams, pale, impalpable, and light:
And when my daily pious tasks are done,
And all my patient prayers said one by one,
God hears it. Seems it sinful in His sight
That round my slow burnt-offering of quenched will
One quivering human sigh creeps wind-like still?
That when my orisons celestial fail
Rises one note of natural human wail?
Dear lord, spouse, hero, martyr, saint! erelong,
I trust, God will forgive my singing that poor song.

A YEAR ago I bade my little son
Bear upon pilgrimage a heavy load
Of alms; he cried, half-fainting on the road,
'Mother, O mother, would the day were done!'
Him I reproved with tears, and said, 'Go on!
Nor pause nor murmur till thy task be o'er.'--
Would not God say to me the same, and more?
I will not sing that song. Thou, dearest one,
Husband--no, brother!--stretch thy steadfast hand
And let mine grasp it. Now, I also stand,
My woman weakness nerved to strength like thine;
We'll quaff life's aloe-cup as if 't were wine
Each to the other; journeying on apart,
Till at heaven's golden doors we two leap heart to heart.


Scheme ABBAACCADDEEBB CFFCXXXCGGHHII
Poetic Form
Metre 1101111111 1011111101 01011101001 1111011101 111101 0111010111 0111011111 1111110011 11111100111 11001011111 11110101 10111100101 111101011 111101110111 0101111101 1011000101 1111110101 1011010101 111110111 11110111110 1111110101 1111111101 101101111 0111111101 1101011111 1111111101 11010100101 1110101111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,250
Words 234
Sentences 16
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 14, 14
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 474
Words per stanza (avg) 114
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:11 min read
113

Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

Dinah Maria Craik (; born Dinah Maria Mulock, also often credited as Miss Mulock or Mrs. Craik) was an English novelist and poet. She is best remembered for her novel John Halifax, Gentleman, which presents the mid-Victorian ideals of English middle-class life.  more…

All Dinah Maria Mulock Craik poems | Dinah Maria Mulock Craik Books

0 fans

Discuss this Dinah Maria Mulock Craik poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Saint Elizabeth Of Bohemia" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8058/saint-elizabeth-of-bohemia>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    17
    days
    22
    hours
    51
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Ozymandias"?
    A Percy Bysshe Shelley
    B Rainer Maria Rilke
    C William Wordsworth
    D Rudyard Kipling