Analysis of Homer's Hymn To The Earth: Mother Of All

Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792 (Horsham) – 1822 (Lerici)



O universal Mother, who dost keep
From everlasting thy foundations deep,
Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee!
All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea,
All things that fly, or on the ground divine
Live, move, and there are nourished—these are thine;
These from thy wealth thou dost sustain; from thee
Fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree
Hang ripe and large, revered Divinity!

The life of mortal men beneath thy sway
Is held; thy power both gives and takes away!
Happy are they whom thy mild favours nourish;
All things unstinted round them grow and flourish.
For them, endures the life-sustaining field
Its load of harvest, and their cattle yield
Large increase, and their house with wealth is filled.
Such honoured dwell in cities fair and free,
The homes of lovely women, prosperously;
Their sons exult in youth’s new budding gladness,
And their fresh daughters free from care or sadness,
With bloom-inwoven dance and happy song,
On the soft flowers the meadow-grass among,
Leap round them sporting--such delights by thee
Are given, rich Power, revered Divinity.

Mother of gods, thou Wife of starry Heaven,
Farewell! be thou propitious, and be given
A happy life for this brief melody,
Nor thou nor other songs shall unremembered be.


Scheme AABBCCBBB DDEEFFXBXGGXXBB HHBB
Poetic Form
Metre 101010111 101010101 1011111111 1111110001 1111110101 1101110111 1111110111 11110111001 1101010100 0111010111 11110110101 1011111110 111111010 1101010101 1111001101 1010111111 111010101 01110101 1101011101 01110111110 11110101 1011001101 1111010111 110110010100 10111111010 1110100110 0101111100 111101111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,250
Words 215
Sentences 9
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 9, 15, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 335
Words per stanza (avg) 71
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

1:04 min read
134

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is regarded by critics as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. more…

All Percy Bysshe Shelley poems | Percy Bysshe Shelley Books

8 fans

Discuss this Percy Bysshe Shelley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Homer's Hymn To The Earth: Mother Of All" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29126/homer%27s-hymn-to-the-earth%3A-mother-of-all>.

    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.
    2
    days
    5
    hours
    5
    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?

    »
    An expression where the literal meaning is different from the intended meaning is called ________.
    A idiom
    B synonym
    C metaphor
    D simile