Analysis of When You Wake

Mathilde Blind 1841 (Mannheim) – 1896 (London)



When you wake from troubled slumbers
With a dream-bewildered brain,
And old leaves which no man numbers
Chattering tap against the pane;
And the midnight wind is wailing
Till you very life seems quailing
As the long gusts shudder and sigh:
Know you not that homeless cry
Is my love's, which cannot die,
Wailing through Eternity?

When beside the glowing embers,
Sitting in the twilight lone,
Drop on drop you hear November's
Melancholy monotone,
As the heavy rain comes sweeping,
With a sound of weeping, weeping,
Till your blood is chilled with fears;
Know you not those falling tears,
Flowing fast through years on years,
For my sobs within your ears?

When with dolorous moan the billows
Surge around where, far and wide,
Leagues on leagues of sea-worn hollows
Throb with thunders of the tide,
And the weary waves in breaking
Fill you, thrill you, as with aching
Memories of our love of yore,
Where you pace the sounding shore,
Hear you not, through roll and roar,
Soul call soul for evermore?


Scheme ABABCCDDDX AEAECCAAAA AFAFCCGGGG
Poetic Form Etheree  (23%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1111101 1010101 01111110 10010101 0011110 1110111 10111001 1111101 1111101 1010100 10101010 100011 11111010 10010 10101110 10111010 1111111 1111101 1011111 1110111 1111010 1011101 11111110 1110101 00101010 11111110 100110111 1110101 1111101 111110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,002
Words 174
Sentences 4
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 10, 10, 10
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 264
Words per stanza (avg) 57
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

52 sec read
38

Mathilde Blind

Mathilde Blind, was a German-born British poet. Her work was praised by Matthew Arnold and French politician and historian Louis Blanc. more…

All Mathilde Blind poems | Mathilde Blind Books

1 fan

Discuss this Mathilde Blind poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "When You Wake" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/27121/when-you-wake>.

    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.
    3
    days
    7
    hours
    59
    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?

    »
    Who wrote the epic poem "Os Lusíadas" in 1572?
    A Miguel Cervantes
    B Cesário Verde
    C Luís de Camões
    D Fernando Pessoa