Analysis of Under The Sheet
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
What a terrible night! Does the Night, I wonder-
The Night, with her black veil down to her feet
Like an ordained nun, know what lies under
That awful, motionless, snow-white sheet?
The winds seem crazed, and, wildly howling,
Over the sad earth blindly go.
Do they and the dark clouds over them scowling,
Do they dream or know?
Why, here in the room, not a week or over-
Tho' it must be a week, not more than one-
(I cannot reckon of late or discover
When one day is ended or one begun),
But here in this room we were laughing lightly,
And glad was the measure our two hearts beat;
And the royal face that was smiling so brightly
Lies under that sheet.
I know not why-it is strange and fearful,
But I am afraid of her, lying there;
She who was always so gay and cheerful,
Lying so still with that stony stare:
She who was so like some grand sultana,
Fond of color and glow and heat,
To lie there clothed in that awful manner
In a stark white sheet.
She who was made out of summer blisses,
Tropical, beautiful, gracious, fair,
To lie and stare at my fondest kisses-
God! no wonder it whitens my hair.
Shriek, oh, wind! for the world is lonely;
Trail cloud-veil to the nun Night's feet.
For all that I prized in life is only
A shape and a sheet.
Scheme | ABABCDCD AEAEFBFB GHGHEBAB IHIHFBFB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101001101110 0110111101 1101111110 110100111 011101010 10011101 11001110110 11111 11001101110 1111011111 11010111010 1111101101 11011101010 01101010111 001011110110 11011 1111111010 1110110101 111111010 101111101 11111111 11100101 1111011010 00111 111111101 100100101 1101111010 11101111 111101110 11110111 1111101110 01001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,220 |
Words | 242 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 238 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 60 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 143 Views
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"Under The Sheet" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10971/under-the-sheet>.
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