Analysis of Earth Rune.

Robert Crawford 1959 (Bellshill)



I heard the Earth within me sing
As if it were a trancéd thing,
Or as if under thought's control
All things were chaunting in my soul.
I was the centre of the sphere,
And made the imaginary year,
Whose seasons four were each a mood
Like God's within His solitude.
The unborn may dream of our life
As we still dream of death, until
Its shadow falls upon our strife,
As the birth-light on the unborn will
When they emerge as from a tomb
Within the antenatal gloom.
Ah! they may guess at what we know,
May picture what their lives will be
When they into time's essence flow
And take on thought's reality,
As we may deem of death, who pass
Like shadows o'er the shining grass.


Scheme AABBCCDDEFEFGGHIHIJJ
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11010111 11100111 11110101 1101011 11010101 01001001 11010101 1101110 011111101 11111101 11101101 101110111 11011101 01011 11111111 11011111 11011101 011110 11111111 11100101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 662
Words 131
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 524
Words per stanza (avg) 129
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
70

Robert Crawford

Robert Crawford FRSE FBA is a Scottish poet, scholar and critic. He is currently Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.  more…

All Robert Crawford poems | Robert Crawford Books

0 fans

Discuss this Robert Crawford poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Earth Rune." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30654/earth-rune.>.

    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.
    0
    days
    18
    hours
    58
    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?

    »
    Repeated use of words for effect and emphasis is called ________.
    A rhyme
    B rhythm
    C repetition
    D assonance