The Lullaby by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The poem explores the theme of motherly love and its transformative power. It describes a mother's lullaby as a soothing balm that calms the child's fears and anxieties, replacing them with feelings of security and comfort. The poem also touches on the idea that a mother's love can overcome even death itself, suggesting that it is eternal and enduring.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1887 · Genre: Poetry, Tragedy, Lyrical · 309 words
First lines
When the long day leans to the twilight, / When the Evening star climbs to the moon, / With a heart that is silently breaking, / I sit in the gloaming and croon. / I croon a low song for my darling, / My wee one, my baby, my own; / Who, cradled in rosewood and velvet, / Sleeps out in the churchyard alone.
Alone with no arms to enfold her, / Alone with no pillowing breast, / Alone with no hand on her cradle, / To rock her to soundlier rest. / But each day in the hush of the twilight, / Is silenced my broken heart's cry; / And I sit where I sat with my darling, / And sing her the old lullaby.
Similar titles
- To The Mother by James Whitcomb Riley
- My Mary by James Whitcomb Riley
- An Old Song by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Returned Birds by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- To A Little Lover Lass Dead by Langston Hughes
- Has She Forgotten by James Whitcomb Riley
Genres
- Poetry — The text is structured in verse and employs poetic devices such as rhyme and meter.
- Tragedy — The themes revolve around loss, grief, and mourning, which are central to tragic literature.
- Lyrical — The work expresses deep personal emotions and is written in a song-like manner.
- Elegy — The poem laments the death of a loved one, fitting the characteristics of an elegy.
Tags
Poetry · Motherhood · Love · Infancy · Nostalgia · Sentimental · Emotional · Intimate · Personal · Reflection · Melancholy · Longing
What this Textopian page supports
The Lullaby is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1887 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: 1887 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Tragedy, Lyrical, Elegy, Sentimental
- Length: 309 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Lullaby by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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