The Span of Life(1937)
Robert Frost
The old dog barks backwards without getting up.
MeterThe old dog barks backwards without getting up.
I can remember when he was a pup.
MeterI can remember when he was a pup.
Rhyme
Show
Stress
Foot division
Caesura
Syncopation
List of Poems
By Title
- A Musical Instrument
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Above the Raven’s Nest (The Prelude, I.326-39)
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (ll. 362-73)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella (31)
- Beppo (stanza XLIV)
- Bright Star
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Chorus (Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Echo
- Elegy
- Enoch Arden
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Eternity
- Even Such is Time
- God’s Grandeur
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Hyperion (Il. 1-14)
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- In Memoriam (section 7)
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- It is the Fashion Now
- Jabberwocky
- Jordan
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Life of Life (Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- Mowing
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Pertinax
- Piano
- Prospero Explains (The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- Sabrina Fair (Comus 1-8 32-63)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Since There’s No Help
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Snow-Flakes
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Sudden Light
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Cold Heaven
- The Eagle
- The Good-Morrow
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Oxen
- The Red Knight Topples (Idylls of the King, X.454-76)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Span of Life
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- The Windhover
- The Witch
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
By Difficulty
WARMING UP
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Amoretti 75
- An Essay on Criticism (ll. 362-73)
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Despayre in Praise of Suicide (Faerie Queene 1.9.39-40)
- Dover Beach
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Elegy
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Even Such is Time
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain
- I Look Into My Glass
- Jabberwocky
- Meeting at Night
- Mont Blanc ll. 1-11
- My Spirit Will Not Haunt the Mound
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Pertinax
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- Roses Are Red
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Snow-Flakes
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Brain is Wider than the Sky
- The Eagle
- The Kraken
- The Lowest Place
- The Night is Freezing Fast
- The Span of Life
- To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing
- To Daffodils
- Upon Julia’s Clothes
- Westron Wynde
MOVING ALONG
- A Musical Instrument
- Above the Raven’s Nest (The Prelude, I.326-39)
- Adonais (Stanzas 54-55)
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella (31)
- Beppo (stanza XLIV)
- Bright Star
- Chorus (Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Eternity
- He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Hyperion (Il. 1-14)
- In Memoriam (section 7)
- In Neglect
- In Tenebris
- It is the Fashion Now
- Jordan
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
- Lear on the Heath (King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Mowing
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Ozymandias
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- Renouncement
- Resume
- Since There’s No Help
- Song: Go, Lovely Rose
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- Thaw
- The Good-Morrow
- The Red Knight Topples (Idylls of the King, X.454-76)
- The Roundel
- The Sick Rose
- The Sonnet
- The Swifts
- The Tyger
- The Wood Pile
- Though I am Young and Cannot Tell
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
SPECIAL CHALLENGE
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Echo
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 14
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Kubla Khan
- Life of Life (Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- On His Blindness
- Piano
- Sabrina Fair (Comus 1-8 32-63)
- She Dotes on What the Wild Birds Say
- Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount
- Sudden Light
- The Cold Heaven
- The Oxen
- The Voice
- The Windhover
- The Witch
By Type
BALLAD
BLANK VERSE
- Above the Raven’s Nest (The Prelude, I.326-39)
- Chorus (Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Enoch Arden
- Hyperion (Il. 1-14)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Paradise Lost (IV. 222-44)
- Prospero Explains (The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Rain
- The Red Knight Topples (Idylls of the King, X.454-76)
CINQUAIN
COUPLET
- An Essay on Criticism (ll. 362-73)
- Cary/Morison Ode: The Turn 65-74
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
- Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy
- Rhyme for a Child Viewing a Naked Venus in a Painting of “The Judgment of Paris”
- The Span of Life
- The Wood Pile
OCTAVE
ODE
QUATRAIN
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Ah! Sun-flower
- Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher
- Eternity
- Heaven-Haven: A Nun Takes the Veil
- Here Dead Lie We
- I Look Into My Glass
- In Memoriam (section 7)
- In Tenebris
- Jabberwocky
- On His Blindness
- On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet
- Piano
- Roses Are Red
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- Thaw
- The Balloon of the Mind
- The Lowest Place
- The Sick Rose
- The Tyger
- The Voice
- Westron Wynde
- When a Man Hath No Freedom
ROUNDEL
SIXAIN
- A Musical Instrument
- Life of Life (Prometheus Unbound II.v.48-71)
- Meeting at Night
- My Sweetest Lesbia
- Snow-Flakes
- The Night is Freezing Fast
SONG
SONNET
- Amoretti 75
- Anthem for Doomed Youth
- Astrophil and Stella (31)
- Bright Star
- God’s Grandeur
- Holy Sonnet 1
- Holy Sonnet 14
- It is the Fashion Now
- Mowing
- Ozymandias
- Renouncement
- Since There’s No Help
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
- Sonnets from the Portuguese #7
- The Sonnet
- The Windhover
- To the Reader of these Sonnets
SPENSERIAN STANZA
TERCET
By Author
ANONYMOUS
MATTHEW ARNOLD
WILLIAM BLAKE
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
ROBERT BROWNING
LORD BYRON
THOMAS CAMPION
LEWIS CARROLL
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
EMILY DICKINSON
JOHN DONNE
MICHAEL DRAYTON
ROBERT FROST
THOMAS HARDY
GEORGE HERBERT
ROBERT HERRICK
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
A. E. HOUSMAN
SAMUEL JOHNSON
BEN JONSON
JOHN KEATS
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR
D. H. LAWRENCE
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
LORD BYRON
W.S. MERWIN
ALICE MEYNELL
EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
JOHN MILTON
WILFRED OWEN
DOROTHY PARKER
ALEXANDER POPE
- An Essay on Criticism (ll. 362-73)
- Dulness’ Apocalypse (The Dunciad 4.627-56)
- Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to his Royal Highness
WALTER RALEGH
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
- Chorus (Henry the Fifth III.i.1-17)
- Juliet’s Soliloquy (Romeo and Juliet III.ii.1-25)
- Lear on the Heath (King Lear III.ii.1-9)
- Prospero Explains (The Tempest IV.i.148-63)
- Sonnet 18
- Sonnet 29
- Sonnet 73
PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY
EDMUND SPENSER
ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON
- Enoch Arden
- In Memoriam (section 7)
- The Eagle
- The Kraken
- The Red Knight Topples (Idylls of the King, X.454-76)
EDWARD THOMAS
EDMUND WALLER
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
- A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
- Above the Raven’s Nest (The Prelude, I.326-39)
- She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
- The Sonnet