Analysis of Rain After a Vaudeville Show
Stephen Vincent Benet 1898 (Bethlehem) – 1943 (New York City)
The last pose flickered, failed. The screen's dead white
Glared in a sudden flooding of harsh light
Stabbing the eyes; and as I stumbled out
The curtain rose. A fat girl with a pout
And legs like hams, began to sing "His Mother".
Gusts of bad air rose in a choking smother;
Smoke, the wet steam of clothes, the stench of plush,
Powder, cheap perfume, mingled in a rush.
I stepped into the lobby -- and stood still
Struck dumb by sudden beauty, body and will.
Cleanness and rapture -- excellence made plain --
The storming, thrashing arrows of the rain!
Pouring and dripping on the roofs and rods,
Smelling of woods and hills and fresh-turned sods,
Black on the sidewalks, gray in the far sky,
Crashing on thirsty panes, on gutters dry,
Hurrying the crowd to shelter, making fair
The streets, the houses, and the heat-soaked air, --
Merciful, holy, charging, sweeping, flashing,
It smote the soul with a most iron clashing! . . .
Like dragons' eyes the street-lamps suddenly gleamed,
Yellow and round and dim-low globes of flame.
And, scarce-perceived, the clouds' tall banners streamed.
Out of the petty wars, the daily shame,
Beauty strove suddenly, and rose, and flowered. . . .
I gripped my coat and plunged where awnings lowered.
Made one with hissing blackness, caught, embraced,
By splendor and by striving and swift haste --
Spring coming in with thunderings and strife --
I stamped the ground in the strong joy of life!
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKLKLMMNNOO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 0111010111 1001010111 1001011101 0101011101 01110111110 11111001010 1011110111 1010110001 1101010011 11110101001 1001010011 0101010101 1001010101 1011010111 110110011 1011011101 10001110101 0101000111 10010101010 11011011010 11010111001 1001011111 0101011101 1101010101 10110001010 1111011110 1111010101 1100110011 11001101 1101001111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,435 |
Words | 245 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,103 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 249 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:13 min read
- 93 Views
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"Rain After a Vaudeville Show" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35808/rain-after-a-vaudeville-show>.
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