Again
Well, I've met her again--at the Mission.She'd told me to see her no more;It was not a command--a petition;I'd granted it once before.
Yes, granted it, hoping she'd write me.Repenting her virtuous freak--Subdued myself daily and nightlyFor the better part of a week.
And then ('twas my duty to spare herThe shame of recalling me) IJust sought her again to prepare herFor an everlasting good-bye.
O, that evening of bliss--shall I everForget it?--with Shakespeare and Poe!She said, when 'twas ended: "You're neverTo see me again. And now go."
As we parted with kisses 'twas humanAnd natural for me to smileAs I thought, "She's in love, and a woman:She'll send for me after a while."
But she didn't; and so--well, the MissionIs fine, picturesque and gray;It's an excellent place for contrition--And sometimes she passes that way.
That's how it occurred that I met her,And that's ah there is to tell--Except that I'd like to forget herCalm way of remarking: "I'm well."
It was hardly worth while, all this keyingMy soul to such tensions and stirsTo learn that her food was agreeingWith that little stomach of hers.
Words in this poem
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- nightly a.
- Of or pertaining to the night, or to every night; happening or done by night, or every night; as, nightly shades; he kept nightly vigils.
- 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,]
- contrition n.
- The act of grinding or ribbing to powder; attrition; friction; rubbing. [F. contrition, L. contritio.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Again is in the public domain. This text is taken from Shapes of Clay (1903), Project Gutenberg ebook #12658; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ambrose Bierce, Again, in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/again.html, id L28208.
Form and metre
Again is 32 lines in 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is anapaestic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See other poems in anapaestic trimeter.
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 missionA · moreB · petitionA · beforeB
- 2 ABAB meA · freakB · nightlyA · weekB
- 3 ABAB herA · iB · herA · byeB
- 4 ABAB everA · poeB · neverA · goB
- 5 ABAB humanA · smileB · womanA · whileB
- 6 ABAB missionA · grayB · contritionA · wayB
- 7 ABAB herA · tellB · herA · wellB
- 8 ABAB keyingA · stirsB · agreeingA · hersB
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 anapaestic trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Well, I've met her again--at the Mission. | 10 | ····˘/··/˘ |
| She'd told me to see her no more; | 8 | ········ |
| It was not a command--a petition; | 10 | ····˘/·˘/˘ |
| I'd granted it once before. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Yes, granted it, hoping she'd write me. | 9 | ·/˘·/˘··· |
| Repenting her virtuous freak-- | 8 | ˘/˘·/˘˘· |
| Subdued myself daily and nightly | 9 | ˘/·//˘·/˘ |
| For the better part of a week. | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| And then ('twas my duty to spare her | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| The shame of recalling me) I | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| Just sought her again to prepare her | 9 | ···˘/·˘/· |
| For an everlasting good-bye. | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| O, that evening of bliss--shall I ever | 9 | ··/˘····/ |
| Forget it?--with Shakespeare and Poe! | 8 | ˘/··/··· |
| She said, when 'twas ended: "You're never | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| To see me again. And now go." | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| As we parted with kisses 'twas human | 10 | ··/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| And natural for me to smile | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| As I thought, "She's in love, and a woman: | 10 | ········/˘ |
| She'll send for me after a while." | 8 | ········ |
| But she didn't; and so--well, the Mission | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| Is fine, picturesque and gray; | 7 | ··/˘˘·· |
| It's an excellent place for contrition-- | 9 | ··/˘··˘/˘ |
| And sometimes she passes that way. | 8 | ·˘/·/˘·· |
| That's how it occurred that I met her, | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| And that's ah there is to tell-- | 7 | ······· |
| Except that I'd like to forget her | 9 | ······˘/· |
| Calm way of remarking: "I'm well." | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| It was hardly worth while, all this keying | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| My soul to such tensions and stirs | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| To learn that her food was agreeing | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| With that little stomach of hers. | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
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.