MET by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1886)
The poem explores the theme of unrequited love and the consequences of societal expectations on personal relationships. The narrator recounts a past romance that was doomed from the start due to differences in social class, with the speaker being from a lower socioeconomic background than their lover. Despite the deep emotional connection between the two, they are forced apart by the pressures of society, leading to a life of loneliness and longing for the narrator.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1886 · Genre: Poetry, Romance, Drama · 398 words
First lines
How odd and strange seems our meeting / Like a grim rendezvous of the dead. / All day I have sat here repeating / The commonplace things that we said. / They sounded so oddly when uttered -- / They sound just as odd to me now; / _Was_ it we, or our two ghosts who muttered / Last evening, with simper and bow?
I had grown used to living without you. / In revel and concert and ball, / I had flown from much thinking about you, / And your picture I turned to the wall. / For to call back the dream that was broken, / To fancy your hand on my hair, / To remember the words we had spoken, / Was madness, and gall, and despair.
What this Textopian page supports
MET 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, Romance, Drama, Gothic, Psychological Fiction
- Length: 398 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for MET by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Similar titles
- The Voluptuary by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- An Erring Womans Love by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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- High Noon by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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Genres
- Poetry — The text is structured in verse and employs poetic devices such as rhyme and meter.
- Romance — The themes revolve around love, passion, and emotional relationships.
- Drama — The narrative explores intense emotional experiences and personal conflicts.
- Gothic — The text includes elements of the supernatural and a somber, melancholic tone.
Tags
Romance · Poetry · American Literature · 19th Century · Love Story · Tragic Love · Social Class · Marriage · Infidelity · Adultery · Guilt · Shame