Uses by Edith Wharton (1916)
The poem explores the passage of time and its effects on human experience. It describes how hours fall quickly, like leaves from a tree, and how the remnants of past experiences can clutter the path forward. However, these remnants also provide shelter for new growth and can evoke memories of warmth and contentment.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1916 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Nature Writing · 106 words
First lines
AH, from the niggard tree of Time / How quickly fall the hours! / It needs no touch of wind or rime / To loose such facile flowers.
Drift of the dead year's harvesting, / They clog to-morrow's way, / Yet serve to shelter growths of spring / Beneath their warm decay,
Or, blent by pious hands with rare / Sweet savours of content, / Surprise the soul's December air / With June's forgotten scent.
What this Textopian page supports
Uses is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Wharton, dated 1916 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1916 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Nature Writing
- Length: 106 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
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Genres
- Poetry — The text is structured in stanzas with a rhythmic and rhyming pattern, characteristic of poetry.
- Romanticism — The text uses symbolic and emotional language to explore themes of time, decay, and memory, common in Romantic literature.
- Nature Writing — The text uses natural imagery (tree, flowers, seasons) to convey its themes, a feature of nature writing.
Tags
Social Commentary · Feminist Literature · Marriage · Societal Expectations · Women's Rights · American Literature · Early 20th Century · New York City · Upper Class · Wealth and Privilege · Morality · Ethics