Analysis of The Philosopher and the Philanthropist
James Kenneth Stephen 1859 (London) – 1892
Searching an infinite Where,
Probing a bottomless When,
Dreamfully wandering,
Ceaselessly pondering,
What is the Wherefore of men:
Bartering life for a There,
Selling his soul for a Then,
Baffling obscurity,
Conning futurity,
Usefulest, wisest of men!
Grasping the Present of Life,
Seizing a definite Now,
Labouring thornfully,
Banishing scornfully
Doubts of his Whither and How:
Spending his substance in Strife,
Working a practical How,
Letting obscurity
Rest on futurity,
Usefuler, wiser, I trow.
Scheme | ABCCBABDDBEFGGFEFDDH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1011001 1001001 1100 100100 110111 1001101 1011101 1000100 101 11011 1001011 1001001 11 1001 1111001 1011001 1001001 100100 111 11011 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 535 |
Words | 76 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 405 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 22 sec read
- 27 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Philosopher and the Philanthropist" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20216/the-philosopher-and-the-philanthropist>.
Discuss this James Kenneth Stephen poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In