A Letter
Dear, I tried to write you such a letterAs would tell you all my heart to-day.Written Love is poor; one word were better;Easier, too, a thousand times, to say.
I can tell you all: fears, doubts unheeding,While I can be near you, hold your hand,Looking right into your eyes, and readingReassurance that you understand.
Yet I wrote it through, then lingered, thinkingOf its reaching you,--what hour, what day;Till I felt my heart and courage sinkingWith a strange, new, wondering dismay.
"Will my letter fall," I wondered sadly,"On her mood like some discordant tone,Or be welcomed tenderly and gladly?Will she be with others, or alone?
"It may find her too absorbed to read it,Save with hurried glance and careless air:Sad and weary, she may scarcely heed it;Gay and happy, she may hardly care.
"Shall I--dare I--risk the chances?" slowlySomething,--was it shyness, love, or pride?--Chilled my heart, and checked my courage wholly;So I laid it wistfully aside.
Then I leant against the casement, turningTearful eyes towards the far-off west,Where the golden evening light was burning,Till my heart throbbed back again to rest.
And I thought: "Love's soul is not in fetters,Neither space nor time keep souls apart;Since I cannot--dare not--send my letters,Through the silence I will send my heart.
"If, perhaps now, while my tears are falling,She is dreaming quietly alone,She will hear my Love's far echo calling,Feel my spirit drawing near her own.
"She will hear, while twilight shades enfold her,All the gathered Love she knows so well--Deepest Love my words have ever told her,Deeper still--all I could never tell.
"Wondering at the strange mysterious powerThat has touched her heart, then she will say:-'Some one whom I love, this very hour,Thinks of me, and loves me, far away.'
"If, as well may be, to-night has found herFull of other thoughts, with others by,Through the words and claims that gather round herShe will hear just one, half-smothered sigh;
"Or will marvel why, without her seeking,Suddenly the thought of me recurs;Or, while listening to another speaking,Fancy that my hand is holding hers."
So I dreamed, and watched the stars' far splendourGlimmering on the azure darkness, start,--While the star of trust rose bright and tender,Through the twilight shadows of my heart.
Words in this poem
- reassurance n.
- Assurance or confirmation renewed or repeated. Prynne.
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- wondered a.
- Having performed wonders; able to perform wonderful things.
- sadly adv.
- Wearily; heavily; firmly.
- tenderly adv.
- In a tender manner; with tenderness; mildly; gently; softly; in a manner not to injure or give pain; with pity or affection; kindly.
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- 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,]
- shyness n.
- The quality or state of being shy.
- chilled a.
- Hardened on the surface or edge by chilling; as, chilled iron; a chilled wheel.
- casement n.
- A window sash opening on hinges affixed to the upright side of the frame into which it is fitted. (Poetically) A window. [Shortened fr. encasement. See Incase 1st Case, and cf. Incasement.]
- tearful a.
- Abounding with tears; weeping; shedding tears; as, tearful eyes.
- enfold v. t.
- To infold. See Infold.
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Letter is in the public domain. This text is taken from Legends and Lyrics. Part 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #2304; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Adelaide Anne Procter, A Letter, in Legends and Lyrics: Second Series (1861), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2304, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/procter-legends-lyrics/a-letter.html, id L21794.
Form and metre
A Letter is 56 lines in 14 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 13 of its 14 stanzas. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in trochaic 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 ABAB letterA · dayB · betterA · sayB
- 2 ABAB unheedingA · handB · readingA · understandB
- 3 ABAB thinkingA · dayB · sinkingA · dismayB
- 4 ABAB sadlyA · toneB · gladlyA · aloneB
- 5 ABAB itA · airB · itA · careB
- 6 ABAB slowlyA · prideB · whollyA · asideB
- 7 ABAB turningA · westB · burningA · restB
- 8 ABAB fettersA · apartB · lettersA · heartB
- 9 -A-A falling · aloneA · calling · ownA
- 10 ABAB herA · wellB · herA · tellB
- 11 ABAB powerA · sayB · hourA · awayB
- 12 ABAB herA · byB · herA · sighB
- 13 ABAB seekingA · recursB · speakingA · hersB
- 14 ABAB splendourA · startB · tenderA · heartB
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 trochaic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Dear, I tried to write you such a letter | 10 | ········/˘ |
| As would tell you all my heart to-day. | 9 | ········· |
| Written Love is poor; one word were better; | 10 | /˘······/˘ |
| Easier, too, a thousand times, to say. | 10 | /˘˘··/˘··· |
| I can tell you all: fears, doubts unheeding, | 10 | ·········· |
| While I can be near you, hold your hand, | 9 | ········· |
| Looking right into your eyes, and reading | 10 | /˘······/˘ |
| Reassurance that you understand. | 9 | ·˘/˘···˘/ |
| Yet I wrote it through, then lingered, thinking | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Of its reaching you,--what hour, what day; | 10 | ··/˘··/˘·· |
| Till I felt my heart and courage sinking | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| With a strange, new, wondering dismay. | 9 | ····/˘˘˘/ |
| "Will my letter fall," I wondered sadly, | 10 | ··/˘··/˘/˘ |
| "On her mood like some discordant tone, | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| Or be welcomed tenderly and gladly? | 10 | ··/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Will she be with others, or alone? | 9 | ····/˘·˘/ |
| "It may find her too absorbed to read it, | 10 | ·····˘/··· |
| Save with hurried glance and careless air: | 9 | ··/˘··/˘· |
| Sad and weary, she may scarcely heed it; | 10 | ··/˘··/˘·· |
| Gay and happy, she may hardly care. | 9 | ··/˘··/˘· |
| "Shall I--dare I--risk the chances?" slowly | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Something,--was it shyness, love, or pride?-- | 9 | /˘··/˘··· |
| Chilled my heart, and checked my courage wholly; | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| So I laid it wistfully aside. | 9 | ····/˘˘˘/ |
| Then I leant against the casement, turning | 11 | ··/˘···/˘/˘ |
| Tearful eyes towards the far-off west, | 9 | /˘······· |
| Where the golden evening light was burning, | 10 | ··/˘/˘··/˘ |
| Till my heart throbbed back again to rest. | 10 | ····˘·˘/·· |
| And I thought: "Love's soul is not in fetters, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Neither space nor time keep souls apart; | 9 | /˘·····˘/ |
| Since I cannot--dare not--send my letters, | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| Through the silence I will send my heart. | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| "If, perhaps now, while my tears are falling, | 10 | ·˘/·····/˘ |
| She is dreaming quietly alone, | 9 | ··/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| She will hear my Love's far echo calling, | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Feel my spirit drawing near her own. | 9 | ··/˘/˘··· |
| "She will hear, while twilight shades enfold her, | 10 | ····/··˘/· |
| All the gathered Love she knows so well-- | 10 | ··/˘˘····· |
| Deepest Love my words have ever told her, | 10 | /˘····/˘·· |
| Deeper still--all I could never tell. | 9 | /˘····/˘· |
| "Wondering at the strange mysterious power | 10 | /˘···˘/˘˘/ |
| That has touched her heart, then she will say:- | 10 | ···˘······ |
| 'Some one whom I love, this very hour, | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| Thinks of me, and loves me, far away.' | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| "If, as well may be, to-night has found her | 10 | ·········· |
| Full of other thoughts, with others by, | 9 | ··/˘··/˘· |
| Through the words and claims that gather round her | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| She will hear just one, half-smothered sigh; | 10 | ······/˘˘· |
| "Or will marvel why, without her seeking, | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| Suddenly the thought of me recurs; | 9 | /˘˘····˘/ |
| Or, while listening to another speaking, | 11 | ··/˘˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| Fancy that my hand is holding hers." | 9 | /˘····/˘· |
| So I dreamed, and watched the stars' far splendour | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Glimmering on the azure darkness, start,-- | 10 | /˘˘··/˘/˘· |
| While the star of trust rose bright and tender, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Through the twilight shadows of my heart. | 9 | ··/·/···· |
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.