Analysis of Oh, For The Time When I Shall Sleep

Emily Jane Brontë 1818 (Thornton) – 1848 (Haworth)



Oh, for the time when I shall sleep
Without identity,
And never care how rain may steep,
Or snow may cover me!
No promised heaven these wild desires
Could all, or half, fulful;
No threatened hell, with quenchless fires,
Subdue this quenchless will!

So said I, and still say the same;
Still, to my death, will say—
Three gods within this little frame
Are warring night and day:
Heaven could not hold them all, and yet
They all are held in me;
And must be mine till I forget
My present entity!

Oh, for the time when in my breast
Their struggles will be o'er!
Oh, for the day when I shall rest,
And never suffer more!


Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGBGB HXHX
Poetic Form Etheree  (35%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11011111 010100 01011111 111101 1101011010 11111 11011110 01111 11101101 111111 11011101 110101 101111101 111101 01111101 110100 11011011 1101110 11011111 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 606
Words 119
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 158
Words per stanza (avg) 39
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 12, 2023

36 sec read
50

Emily Jane Brontë

Emily Jane Brontë was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. She also published one book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte and Anne titled Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell with her own poems finding regard as poetic genius. Emily was the third-eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother Branwell. She published under the pen name Ellis Bell. more…

All Emily Jane Brontë poems | Emily Jane Brontë Books

0 fans

Discuss this Emily Jane Brontë poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Oh, For The Time When I Shall Sleep" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12518/oh%2C-for-the-time-when-i-shall-sleep>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    7
    hours
    44
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet is known for writing "Ode to a Nightingale"?
    A Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    B Percy Bysshe Shelley
    C William Wordsworth
    D John Keats