Analysis of Without You

Hermann Hesse 1877 (Calw) – 1962 (Montagnola)



My Pillow gazes upon me at night
Empty as a gravestone;
I never thought it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Not to lie down asleep in your hair.

I lie alone in a silent house,
The hanging lamp darkened,
And gently stretch out my hands
To gather in yours,
And softly press my warm mouth
Toward you, and kiss myself, exhausted and weak-
Then suddenly I'm awake
And all around me the cold night grows still.
The star in the window shines clearly-
Where is your blond hair,
Where your sweet mouth?

Now I drink pain in every delight
And poison in every wine;
I never knew it would be so bitter
To be alone,
Alone, without you.

Translated by James Wright


Scheme abcBd xxxxexxxxde axcBx a
Poetic Form
Metre 1101001111 10101 1101111110 1101 111101011 110100101 010110 0101111 11001 0101111 01101101001 1100101 0101101111 010010110 11111 1111 1111010001 01001001 1101111110 1101 01011 010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 634
Words 126
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 5, 11, 5, 1
Lines Amount 22
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 127
Words per stanza (avg) 31
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 10, 2023

38 sec read
120

Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse was a German poet, novelist, and painter. more…

All Hermann Hesse poems | Hermann Hesse Books

0 fans

Discuss this Hermann Hesse poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Without You" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19152/without-you>.

    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.
    0
    days
    21
    hours
    0
    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 "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"?
    A Sylvia Plath
    B William Shakespeare
    C Dylan Thomas
    D T.S. Eliot