Analysis of When Early March Seems Middle May
James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)
When country roads begin to thaw
In mottled spots of damp and dust,
And fences by the margin draw
Along the frosty crust
Their graphic silhouettes, I say,
The Spring is coming round this way.
When morning-time is bright with sun
And keen with wind, and both confuse
The dancing, glancing eyes of one
With tears that ooze and ooze--
And nose-tips weep as well as they,
The Spring is coming round this way.
When suddenly some shadow-bird
Goes wavering beneath the gaze,
And through the hedge the moan is heard
Of kine that fain would graze
In grasses new, I smile and say,
The Spring is coming round this way.
When knotted horse-tails are untied,
And teamsters whistle here and there.
And clumsy mitts are laid aside
And choppers' hands are bare,
And chips are thick where children play,
The Spring is coming round this way.
When through the twigs the farmer tramps,
And troughs are chunked beneath the trees,
And fragrant hints of sugar-camps
Astray in every breeze,--
When early March seems middle May,
The Spring is coming round this way.
When coughs are changed to laughs, and when
Our frowns melt into smiles of glee,
And all our blood thaws out again
In streams of ecstasy,
And poets wreak their roundelay,
The Spring is coming round this way.
Scheme | ababcC dedecC fgfgcC hihicC xjxjcC klkllC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010111 01011101 01010101 010101 1100111 01110111 11011111 01110101 01010111 111101 01111111 01110111 1100111 11000101 01010111 111111 01011101 01110111 11011101 01010101 01011101 010111 01111101 01110111 11010101 01110101 01011101 0101001 11011101 01110111 11111101 101101111 011011101 011100 010111 01110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,220 |
Words | 224 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 165 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 37 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 18, 2023
- 1:07 min read
- 105 Views
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"When Early March Seems Middle May" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21179/when-early-march-seems-middle-may>.
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