Analysis of After While. A Poem Of Faith
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
I THINK that though the clouds be dark,
That though the waves dash o'er the bark.
Yet after while the light will come,
And in calm waters safe at home
The bark will anchor.
Weep not, my sad-eyed, gray-robed maid.
Because your fairest blossoms fade,
That sorrow still o'erruns your cup,
And even though you root them up,
The weeds grow ranker.
For after while your tears shall cease,
And sorrow shall give way to peace;
The flowers shall bloom, the weeds shall die,
And in that faith seen, by and by
Thy woes shall perish.
Smile at old Fortune's adverse tide,
Smile when the scoffers sneer and chide.
Oh, not for you the gems that pale,
And not for you the flowers that fail;
Let this thought cherish:
That after while the clouds will part,
And then with joy the waiting heart
Shall feel the light come stealing in,
That drives away the cloud of sin
And breaks its power.
And you shall burst your chrysalis,
And wing away to realms of bliss,
Untrammelled, pure, divinely free,
Above all earth's anxiety
From that same hour.
Scheme | AABCDEEFFDGGHHIJJKKILLMMDNNOOD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (40%) |
Metre | 11110111 110111001 11010111 00110111 01110 11111111 01110101 1101111 01011111 01110 11011111 01011111 010110111 00111101 11110 11110011 1101101 11110111 011101011 11110 11010111 01110101 11011100 11010111 01110 01111100 01011111 110101 01110100 11110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,001 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 799 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 186 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 79 Views
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"After While. A Poem Of Faith" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28650/after-while.--a-poem-of-faith>.
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