In Reply to: Name: Abra posted by Melissa Warfel on March 03, 1998 at 20:51:46:
I know that this response is late for you, as this original message was posted over a year ago, and you have probably found the answer. But, just in case, the line in East of Eden comes not from a short poem, but from one of Prior's more major works: "Solomon on the Vanity of the World." The line is in Book ii, Line 364. The work was written in 1708. Check it out. Sheds some light on Steinbeck's characters.
: I am looking for a poem, or at least the name of a poem, by Matthew Prior that contains the following line quoted in John Steinbeck's East of Eden:
: Abra was ready ere I called her name; and though I called another, Abra came.
: American poets are not my area of expertise so I would be very greatful for any insight anyone might provide.