Poetry & Analysis
Selected Poems
Sad PoemsThe Last Ride Together
I said—Then, dearest, since ’tis so,
Since now at length my fate I know,
Since nothing all my love avails,
Since all, my life seem’d meant for, fails,
Since this was written and needs must be—
My whole heart rises up to bless
Your name in pride and thankfulness!
Take back the hope you gave,—I claim
Only a memory of the same,
—And this beside, if you will not blame;
Your leave for one more last ride with me.
My mistress bent that brow of hers;
Those deep dark eyes where pride demurs
When pity would be softening through,
Fixed me a breathing-while or two
With life or death in the balance: right!
The blood replenished me again;
My last thought was at least not vain:
I and my mistress, side by side
Shall be together, breathe and ride,
So, one day more am I deified.
Who knows but the world may end to-night?
Hush! if you saw some western cloud
All billowy-bosomed, over-bowed
By many benedictions—sun’s
And moon’s and evening-star’s at once—
And so, you, looking and loving best,
Conscious grew, your passion drew
Cloud, sunset, moonrise, star-shine too,
Down on you, near and yet more near,
Till flesh must fade for heaven was here!—
Thus leant she and lingered—joy and fear!
Thus lay she a moment on my breast.
Then we began to ride. My soul
Smoothed itself out, a long-cramped scroll
Freshening and fluttering in the wind.
Past hopes already lay behind.
What need to strive with a life awry?
Had I said that, had I done this,
So might I gain, so might I miss.
Might she have loved me? just as well
She might have hated, who can tell!
Where had I been now if the worst befell?
And here we are riding, she and I.
Overview Short Summary
Browning’s poem begins in romantic failure but turns regret into one final shared moment. It fits poems about love regret because the speaker asks not for victory, but for a memory he can keep.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Love regret: The speaker’s love has failed, but he still asks for one last ride.
- What if: He imagines different choices and uncertain outcomes.
- Acceptance: The ride becomes a way to live inside the remaining moment.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is emotional, dramatic, and reflective. The mood is bittersweet because failure and gratitude exist together.
Literary Technique Imagery and Symbols
The ride, western cloud, sunset, moonrise, star-shine, and scroll of the soul create a romantic atmosphere of finality.
Poetic Form Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The dramatic monologue structure lets the reader follow the speaker’s mind as it reshapes failure into memory.
I Remember, I Remember
I remember, I remember
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day;
But now, I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away!
I remember, I remember
The roses, red and white,
The violets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday,—
The tree is living yet!
I remember, I remember
Where I was used to swing,
And thought the air must rush as fresh
To swallows on the wing;
My spirit flew in feathers then,
That is so heavy now,
And summer pools could hardly cool
The fever on my brow!
I remember, I remember
The fir trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky:
It was a childish ignorance,
But now ’tis little joy
To know I’m farther off from heaven
Than when I was a boy.
Overview Short Summary
Hood’s poem mourns the lost innocence of childhood. It is useful for poems about regrets in life because the speaker compares present heaviness with the lightness of youth.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Life regret: The adult speaker feels far from the happiness of childhood.
- Memory: The repeated “I remember” shows how the past keeps returning.
- Lost innocence: The final line suggests a spiritual distance from childhood.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is nostalgic and sorrowful. The mood is tender but darkens as the poem moves forward.
Literary Technique Imagery and Symbols
The childhood house, window, flowers, swing, swallows, pools, and fir trees create a remembered world that contrasts with adult sadness.
Poetic Form Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The repeated opening line gives the poem a memory-driven structure.
The Rainy Day
The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Overview Short Summary
Longfellow turns gloomy weather into a picture of regret and sadness. The speaker’s thoughts cling to the past, but the final stanza offers perspective and comfort.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Past regret: The speaker’s thoughts cling to the mouldering past.
- Lost youth: The hopes of youth fall like dead leaves.
- Comfort: The poem ends by reminding the heart that dark days are shared and temporary.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone moves from sorrowful to consoling. The mood is melancholy but gently hopeful.
Literary Technique Imagery and Symbols
Rain, wind, mouldering walls, dead leaves, clouds, and sun create a weather-image of regret and healing.
Poetic Form Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The repeated “dark and dreary” line gives the poem its emotional heaviness.
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.
Overview Short Summary
Herrick’s poem is not regretful after the fact; it tries to prevent regret before it happens. It warns that time passes quickly and chances should be used wisely.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Avoiding regret: The poem urges action before opportunity fades.
- Time: Old Time is described as flying.
- Youth and chance: Rosebuds and flowers symbolize moments that do not last.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is urgent, persuasive, and bright. The mood is lively but serious.
Literary Technique Imagery and Symbols
Rosebuds, flowers, sun, and setting light symbolize youth and opportunity.
Poetic Form Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The four quatrains deliver a clear carpe diem argument.
Opportunity
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:—
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel—
That blue blade that the king’s son bears,—but this
Blunt thing—!” he snapt and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
Overview Short Summary
Sill’s poem shows how regret can begin when a person rejects an imperfect chance. One man throws away a broken sword, while another uses it to win.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Missed opportunity: The first man gives up because the sword is not ideal.
- Action: The king’s son acts with what is available.
- Regret and excuses: The poem warns against waiting for perfect conditions.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is dramatic and instructive. The mood is urgent because the decision happens in battle.
Literary Technique Imagery and Symbols
The broken sword, dust, banner, and battlefield symbolize flawed chances and decisive action.
Poetic Form Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The poem uses a compact story to show the difference between excuse and courage.
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