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Literary
February 15, 1884
The Weekly Visitor
Central Falls, Providence County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
A poem reflecting on the subtle devastation caused by a brief death notice in a newspaper, read casually to an indifferent group, extinguishing the hope and joy of one young woman in silent sorrow.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
The Weekly Visitor.
ONLY A LINE
Only a line in the paper,
That somebody read aloud
At a table of languid boarders,
To a dull, indifferent crowd.
Market reports and a marriage,
And the reader reads them all,
How could he know a hope died then
And was wrapped in a funeral pall?
Only a line in the paper,
Read in a casual way.
But the glow went out of one young life
And left it cold and gray
Colder than bleak December
Grayer than walls of rock;
The reader paused and the room grew full
Of laughter and idle talk.
If one slipped off to her chamber,
Why, who would dream or know
That one brief line in the paper
Had sent her away with her woe—
Away into lonely sorrow
To bitter and blinding tears?
Only a line in the paper!
But it meant such desolate years!
ONLY A LINE
Only a line in the paper,
That somebody read aloud
At a table of languid boarders,
To a dull, indifferent crowd.
Market reports and a marriage,
And the reader reads them all,
How could he know a hope died then
And was wrapped in a funeral pall?
Only a line in the paper,
Read in a casual way.
But the glow went out of one young life
And left it cold and gray
Colder than bleak December
Grayer than walls of rock;
The reader paused and the room grew full
Of laughter and idle talk.
If one slipped off to her chamber,
Why, who would dream or know
That one brief line in the paper
Had sent her away with her woe—
Away into lonely sorrow
To bitter and blinding tears?
Only a line in the paper!
But it meant such desolate years!
What sub-type of article is it?
Poem
Elegy
What themes does it cover?
Death Mortality
What keywords are associated?
Death Notice
Newspaper
Grief
Indifference
Sorrow
Loss
Literary Details
Title
Only A Line
Key Lines
Only A Line In The Paper,
That Somebody Read Aloud
How Could He Know A Hope Died Then
And Was Wrapped In A Funeral Pall?
Only A Line In The Paper!
But It Meant Such Desolate Years!