Work
Yet life is not a vision nor a prayer,But stubborn work; she may not shun her task.After the first compassion, none will spareHer portion and her work achieved, to ask.She pleads for respite,--she will come ere longWhen, resting by the roadside, she is strong.
Nay, for the hurrying throng of passers-byWill crush her with their onward-rolling stream.Much must be done before the brief light die;She may not loiter, rapt in the vain dream.With unused trembling hands, and faltering feet,She staggers forth, her lot assigned to meet.
But when she fills her days with duties done,Strange vigor comes, she is restored to health.New aims, new interests rise with each new sun,And life still holds for her unbounded wealth.All that seemed hard and toilsome now proves small,And naught may daunt her,--she hath strength for all.
Words in this poem
- roadside n.
- Land adjoining a road or highway; the part of a road or highway that borders the traveled part. Also used ajectively.
- rapt n.
- An ecstasy; a trance. Bp. Morton. [From F. rapt abduction, rape, L. raptus, fr. rapere to seize and carry off, to transport; or fr. E. rapt, a. See Rapt, a., and Rapid.]
- faltering a.
- Hesitating; trembling.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- daunt v. t.
- To overcome; to conquer. [OF. danter, F. dompter to tame, subdue, fr. L. domitare, v. intens. of domare to tame. See Tame.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Work is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #3295; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Emma Lazarus, Work, in Poems, Volume I (1867–1887), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3295, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lazarus-poems/work.html, id L01877.
Form and metre
Work is 18 lines in 3 stanzas of 6 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCC. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ABABCC prayerA · taskB · spareA · askB · longC · strongC
- 2 ABABCC byA · streamB · dieA · dreamB · feetC · meetC
- 3 ABABCC doneA · healthB · sunA · wealthB · smallC · allC
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 iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Yet life is not a vision nor a prayer, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But stubborn work; she may not shun her task. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| After the first compassion, none will spare | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Her portion and her work achieved, to ask. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| She pleads for respite,--she will come ere long | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| When, resting by the roadside, she is strong. | 10 | ·/˘··/···· |
| Nay, for the hurrying throng of passers-by | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Will crush her with their onward-rolling stream. | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Much must be done before the brief light die; | 10 | ·········· |
| She may not loiter, rapt in the vain dream. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| With unused trembling hands, and faltering feet, | 10 | ·˘//˘··/˘· |
| She staggers forth, her lot assigned to meet. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| But when she fills her days with duties done, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Strange vigor comes, she is restored to health. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| New aims, new interests rise with each new sun, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And life still holds for her unbounded wealth. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| All that seemed hard and toilsome now proves small, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And naught may daunt her,--she hath strength for all. | 10 | ·········· |
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.