Analysis of There Was a Cherry-Tree
James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)
There was a cherry-tree. Its bloomy snows
Cool even now the fevered sight that knows
No more its airy visions of pure joy --
As when you were a boy.
There was a cherry-tree. The Bluejay sat
His blue against its white -- O blue as jet
He seemed there then!-- But now -- Whoever knew
He was so pale a blue!
There was a cherry-tree -- our child-eyes saw
The miracle:-- Its pure white snows did thaw
Into a crimson fruitage, far too sweet
But for a boy to eat.
There was a cherry-tree, give thanks and joy!--
There was a bloom of snow -- There was a boy --
There was a bluejay of the realest blue --
And fruit for both of you.
Scheme | AABB XXCC DDEE BBCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 110101111 1101010111 1111010111 111001 110101011 1101111111 1111110101 111101 11010110111 0100111111 010101111 110111 1101011101 1101111101 11011011 011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 627 |
Words | 131 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 115 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 32 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 03, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 95 Views
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"There Was a Cherry-Tree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21139/there-was-a-cherry-tree>.
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