What Shall We Do? by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The poem explores the theme of a romantic relationship where the speaker and their lover are at a crossroads, unsure of what to do with their feelings for each other. The speaker describes the intensity of their emotions, acknowledging that they have reached a point where they must make a decision about their future together.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1888 · Genre: Poetry, Romance, Drama · 255 words
First lines
Here now forevermore our lives must part. / My path leads there, and yours another way. / What shall we do with this fond love, dear heart? / It grows a heavier burden day by day.
Hide it? In all earth's caverns, void and vast, / There is not room enough to hide it, dear; / Not even the mighty storehouse of the past / Could cover it from our own eyes, I fear.
Drown it? Why, were the contents of each ocean / Merged into one great sea, too shallow then / Would be its waters to sink this emotion / So deep it could not rise to life again.
What this Textopian page supports
What Shall We Do? is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1888 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: 1888 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romance, Drama, Philosophy
- Length: 255 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for What Shall We Do? 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
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- No Place by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- The Philosopher by Edna St Vincent Millay
- Discontent by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Wherefore by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- I Know Not by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- River And Sea by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Genres
- Poetry — The text is written in verse and employs poetic devices such as rhyme and meter.
- Romance — The central theme revolves around love and the emotional struggles associated with it.
- Drama — The narrative explores intense emotional conflicts and dramatic expressions of feelings.
- Philosophy — The text contemplates existential questions and the nature of human emotions.
Tags
Philosophy · Poetry · Social Commentary · Societal Issues · Human Condition · Existential Crisis · Free Verse · American Literature · Early 20th Century · Women Authors · Feminist Literature · Psychological Insight