A Minor Chord by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The poem explores the theme of unrequited love and its devastating consequences on a person's life. The narrator reflects on a past romantic relationship that has ended, leaving them with a deep sense of sorrow and longing. The "minor chord" referred to in the title symbolizes the melancholic and plaintive tone of the narrator's emotions.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1886 · Genre: Poetry, Melancholy, Philosophical · 154 words
First lines
I heard a strain of music in the street- A wandering waif of sound. And then straightway A nameless desolation filled the day. The great green earth that had been fair and sweet, Seemed but a tomb; the life I thought replete With joy, grew lonely for a vanished May. Forgotten sorrows resurrected lay Like bleaching skeletons about my feet.
Above me stretched the silent, suffering sky, Dumb with vast anguish for departed suns That brutal Time to nothingness has hurled. The daylight was as sad as smiles that lie Upon the wistful, unkissed mouths of nuns, And I stood prisoned in an awful world.
What this Textopian page supports
A Minor Chord is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1886 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Date: 1886 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Melancholy, Philosophical, Romantic
- Length: 154 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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Genres
- Poetry — The text is structured in verse and employs poetic devices such as rhyme and meter.
- Melancholy — The themes revolve around sorrow, desolation, and a sense of loss.
- Philosophical — The work contemplates existential themes and the passage of time.
- Romantic — There is a focus on emotional depth and the beauty of nature, albeit in a sorrowful context.
Tags
Poetry · American Literature · Romance · Love · Relationships · Marriage · Infidelity · Deception · Heartbreak · Sorrow · Grief · Loss