Analysis of Kepler's Apostrophe
James Joseph Sylvester 1814 (London) – 1897 (London)
Yes! on the annals of my race,
In characters of flame,
Which time shall dim not nor deface,
I'll stamp, my deathless name.
The fire which on my vitals preys,
And inly smouldering lies,
Shall flash out to a meteor's blaze
And stream along the skies.
Clafed as the angry ocean's swell
My soul within me boils,
Like a chained monarch in his cell,
Or lion in the toils.
To wealth, to pride, to lofty state,
No more I'll bend the knee,
But Fortune's minions, meanly great,
Shall stoop their necks to me.
The God which formed me for command,
And gave me strength to rise,
Shall plant His sceptre in my hand,
His lightning in my eyes;
Shall with the thorny crown of fame
My aching temples bind,
And hail me by a mighty name
A monarch of the mind.
Me, heaven's bright galaxy shall greet
Theirs by primordial choice,
And earth the eternal tones repeat
Of my prophetic voice.
Stung in her turn, the heartless fair
Who proudly eyes me now,
Shall weep to see some other share
The godhead of my brow;
Shall weep to see some lovelier star
Snatched to my soul's embrace,
Ascend with me Fame's fiery car
And claim celestial place.
Tune oh! my soul thy loftiest strain,
Exult in song and glee,
For worn has snapped each earthlier chain
And set the immortal free.
Minds destined to a glorious shape
Must first affliction feel;
Wine oozes from the trodden grape,
Iron's blistered into steel;
So gushes from affection bruised
Ambition's purple tide,
And steadfast faith unkindly used
Hardens to stubborn pride.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IDID BJBJ KLKL MNMN OAOA PHPH QRQR STST |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 11010111 010011 11111101 11111 01011111 0111 1111011 010101 11010101 110111 1011011 110001 11111101 111101 1101011 111111 01111101 011111 11110011 110011 11010111 110101 01110101 01101 110110011 1101001 010010101 110101 10010101 110111 11111101 01111 1111111 111101 011111001 010101 1111111 010101 1111111 0100101 110101001 110101 11010101 110011 11010101 1101 01111 101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,497 |
Words | 270 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 12 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 98 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 1:24 min read
- 53 Views
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"Kepler's Apostrophe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20147/kepler%27s-apostrophe>.
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