Analysis of Elegy For An Enemy
(For G. H.)
Say, does that stupid earth
Where they have laid her,
Bind still her sullen mirth,
Mirth which betrayed her?
Do the lush grasses hold,
Greenly and glad,
That brittle-perfect gold
She alone had?
Smugly the common crew,
Over their knitting,
Mourn her - as butchers do
Sheep-throats they're slitting!
She was my enemy,
One of the best of them.
Would she come back to me,
God damn the rest of them!
Damn them, the flabby, fat,
Sleek little darlings!
We gave them tit for tat,
Snarlings for snarlings!
Squashy pomposities,
Shocked at our violence,
Let not one tactful hiss
Break her new silence!
Maids of antiquity,
Look well upon her;
Ice was her chastity,
Spotless her honor.
Neighbors, with breasts of snow,
Dames of much virtue,
How she could flame and glow!
Lord, how she hurt you!
She was a woman, and
Tender - at times!
(Delicate was her hand)
One of her crimes!
Hair that strayed elfinly,
Lips red as haws,
You, with the ready lie,
Was that the cause?
Rest you, my enemy,
Slain without fault,
Life smacks but tastelessly
Lacking your salt!
Stuck in a bog whence naught
May catapult me,
Come from the grave, long-sought,
Come and insult me!
WE knew that sugared stuff
Poisoned the other;
Rough as the wind is rough,
Sister and brother!
Breathing the ether clear
Others forlorn have found -
Oh, for that peace austere
She and her scorn have found!
Scheme | X ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJJKXK GBGBLELE XMXMNXNX GONOPGPG QBQBRSRS |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111 111101 11110 110101 11010 101101 1001 110011 1011 100101 10110 101101 11110 111100 110111 111111 110111 110101 11010 111111 111 101 1110100 111101 10110 110100 11010 110100 10010 101111 11110 111101 11111 110100 1011 100101 1101 1111 1111 110101 1101 111100 1011 1111 1011 100111 1101 110111 10011 111101 10010 110111 10010 100101 100111 111101 100111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,368 |
Words | 246 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 57 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 131 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:14 min read
- 106 Views
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"Elegy For An Enemy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35793/elegy-for-an-enemy>.
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