Analysis of What If I Were a Shadowless Man?
What if I were a shadowless man,
marvelous work none could see,
no cameras that me could scan,
a hideous sight ‘twould be!
Would you my company try to seek,
or dodge me like a bullet?
Would you consider me a freak,
put away in some closet?
Would you sincerely call me friend,
a bosom friend you cherish,
not me to hide but to defend,
a good friend without blemish?
Would you clothe me in your finest robe
despite my lack of visage,
parade me ‘cross the human globe,
a spectacle with message?
Would you berate my countenance,
not say it is disfigured;
instead, appraise its difference,
of common sense configured?
Would you in ignorance not chide me,
not be unkind in any way,
belittle me to some degree,
but hold me high midst the fray?
What if I were a shadowless man,
an outlander species born,
would you then my company ban,
hold me up to every scorn?
What if I were a shadowless man,
by kith and kin e’er entwined,
tied to your blood since dawn began,
would I be to you enshrined?
Scheme | Abab cdcd efef ghgh ijij bkbk Alal Amam |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1110011 1001111 11001111 0100111 111100111 1111010 11010101 1010110 11010111 0101110 11111101 0110110 111101101 0111110 01110101 0100110 11011100 1111010 01011100 1101010 110100111 11010101 01011101 1111101 1110011 11101 11111001 11111001 1110011 1101101 11111101 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 997 |
Words | 222 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 96 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
About this poem
This poem, “What If I Were a Shadowless Man,” takes its title from the 1813 literary production of Adelbert von Chamisso, French-German writer, botanist, and poet (1781-1837), in a work entitled “The Marvelous History of the Shadowless man.” This current poem employs the title of Chamisso’s nineteenth century work as a point of departure, to encourage its readers to pursue or at least consider an introspective investigation of the social, cultural, political, economic , and psychological underpinnings that, consciously or unconsciously, undergird the collective notion of “Self” and “Other;” how we, made in the image of humankind, regard some among us, as foreigners, strangers, or immigrants, even at times, as foe, distinguishing them from those we esteem and consider as friends, comrades, patriots, or families. more »
Written on November 15, 2021
Submitted by karlcfolkes on November 15, 2021
Modified on April 07, 2023
- 1:06 min read
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"What If I Were a Shadowless Man?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/114065/what-if-i-were-a-shadowless-man%3F>.
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