Question

What are some poetic devices James Lowell uses to communicate the message of the poem.

Life
by: James Lowell

Life is a leaf of paper white
Whereon each of us may write
His word or two; and then comes night

Though thou have time
But for a line, be sublime
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.

Answer 1

The theme is what people do with their lives. They are given just a short amount of time to live so he is saying to do at least something good or useful with it. "But for a line" is a metaphor of accomplishing "writing" something good. He is saying whatever you set out to do, it doesn't even matter if you fail, that at least you tried. His rhyme scheme is AAABBB. The mood is sobre. There's very little in the way of poetic devices. It's just a lyrical poem written in tercets. His point of view is from the middle of his life, possibly? Too old to be naive, but too young to look back and wonder if he himself did his best. Line 5 has a double rhyme. Paper white is a metaphor for birth and night represents death.
Source:
Author of a poetry anthology ~ Envious of the Clouds

Answer 2

Thank you so much!!