Analysis of Grief
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
I TELL you, hopeless grief is passionless;
That only men incredulous of despair,
Half-taught in anguish, through the midnight air
Beat upward to God's throne in loud access
Of shrieking and reproach. Full desertness,
In souls as countries, lieth silent-bare
Under the blanching, vertical eye-glare
Of the absolute Heavens. Deep-hearted man, express
Grief for thy Dead in silence like to death--
Most like a monumental statue set
In everlasting watch and moveless woe
Till itself crumble to the dust beneath.
Touch it; the marble eyelids are not wet:
If it could weep, it could arise and go.
Scheme | ABBAABBACDEFDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 11010100101 110101011 110111011 11000111 011101101 100110011 101010110101 1111010111 11001011 00101011 1011010101 110101111 1111110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 585 |
Words | 99 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 472 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 97 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 30 sec read
- 295 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Grief" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10229/grief>.
Discuss this Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In