Lines by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1905)
"Lines" is a celebratory dedicatory poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, composed for Mr. and Mrs. D. Atwood on the occasion of their silver wedding anniversary, August 25th, 1874. The poem uses the extended metaphor of the moon's phases to trace the arc of twenty-five years of married life, moving from the slim crescent of early love through the full, bright harvest moon of mature union. Wilcox structures the poem around the image of a moon that has grown steadily despite the clouds — sorrows, losses, and the ordinary griefs of passing years — that have drifted across it. Rather than diminishing its light, these trials have, in the poem's telling, made the moon grow fuller and brighter: grief became a teacher, heavy burdens were made lighter by the enduring presence of shared love. The couple are addressed directly as "harvesters on life's great plain," and the young sheaves of harvest surrounding them are offered as proof that their labor has not been in vain and that divine blessing has attended their union. The poem closes with a benediction and a forward-looking wish: that the silver moon of wedded bliss may continue to shine through many more tomorrows, until it is eventually transformed — by the sun of Immortal Love — from silver into gold, a metaphor both for the future golden anniversary and for the transcendence of earthly love into something eternal. In tone, the poem is tender, publicly ceremonial, and devotional, characteristic of Wilcox's facility with occasional verse. It balances acknowledgment of life's inevitable hardships with an insistence on the sustaining power of faithful partnership, framing long marriage not as mere endurance but as a form of spiritual harvest.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1905 · Genre: Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 324 words
First lines
Dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. D. Atwood upon the celebration / of their silver wedding, August 25th, 1874.
The harvest-moon of wedded love, / Fair in the heavens sailing, / Has reached mid-height, and, clear and bright, / Gives little sign of paling.
What this Textopian page supports
Lines is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1905 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: 1905 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Sentimental Poetry
- Length: 324 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Lines by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Similar titles
- A Fragment by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Why The Spring Is Late by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Song Of The Wheelman by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- A Golden Day by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- A Tribute by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Take My Hand by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form with regular rhyming couplets and poetic meter, establishing it fundamentally as a poem.
- Romantic Poetry — Celebrates enduring romantic love and marital commitment, tracing the emotional journey of a couple through 25 years of marriage.
- Lyric Poetry — Expresses personal emotion and subjective reflection on love, memory, and devotion through intimate language rather than narrative storytelling.
- Occasional Poetry — Written specifically to commemorate a particular social occasion—the silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. D. Atwood.
Tags
poetry · verse · Victorian · romantic · sentiment · inspirational · love · spiritual · contemplative · reflective · emotional · affirmative