Edward Rowland Sill, Died February 27, 1887
I held his letter in my hand,And even while I readThe lightning flashed across the landThe word that he was dead.
How strange it seemed! His living voiceWas speaking from the pageThose courteous phrases, tersely choice,Light-hearted, witty, sage.
I wondered what it was that died!The man himself was here,His modesty, his scholar's pride,His soul serene and clear.
These neither death nor time shall dim,Still this sad thing must be--Henceforth I may not speak to him,Though he can speak to me!
Words in this poem
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- wondered a.
- Having performed wonders; able to perform wonderful things.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Edward Rowland Sill, Died February 27, 1887 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Sisters' Tragedy, with Other Poems, Lyrical and Dramatic, Project Gutenberg ebook #595; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Edward Rowland Sill, Died February 27, 1887, in The Sisters' Tragedy, with Other Poems (1891), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #595, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/aldrich-poems/edward-rowland-sill-died-february-27-1887.html, id L10771.
Form and metre
Edward Rowland Sill, Died February 27, 1887 is 16 lines in 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 87% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABAB handA · readB · landA · deadB
- 2 ABAB voiceA · pageB · choiceA · sageB
- 3 ABAB diedA · hereB · prideA · clearB
- 4 ABAB dimA · beB · himA · meB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I held his letter in my hand, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And even while I read | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| The lightning flashed across the land | 9 | ·/˘·˘˘/·· |
| The word that he was dead. | 6 | ······ |
| How strange it seemed! His living voice | 9 | ····˘·/˘· |
| Was speaking from the page | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Those courteous phrases, tersely choice, | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘/˘· |
| Light-hearted, witty, sage. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| I wondered what it was that died! | 9 | ·/˘˘····· |
| The man himself was here, | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| His modesty, his scholar's pride, | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| His soul serene and clear. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| These neither death nor time shall dim, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Still this sad thing must be-- | 6 | ······ |
| Henceforth I may not speak to him, | 8 | //······ |
| Though he can speak to me! | 6 | ······ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.