Analysis of The King of Yellow Butterflies
Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)
(A Poem Game.)
The King of Yellow Butterflies,
The King of Yellow Butterflies,
The King of Yellow Butterflies,
Now orders forth his men.
He says "The time is almost here
When violets bloom again."
Adown the road the fickle rout
Goes flashing proud and bold,
A down the road the fickle rout
Goes flashing proud and bold,
Adown the road the fickle rout
Goes flashing proud and bold,
They shiver by the shallow pools,
They shiver by the shallow pools,
They shiver by the shallow pools,
And whimper of the cold.
They drink and drink. A frail pretense!
They love to pose and preen.
Each pool is but a looking glass,
Where their sweet wings are seen.
Each pool is but a looking glass,
Where their sweet wings are seen.
Each pool is but a looking glass,
Where their sweet wings are seen.
Gentlemen adventurers! Gypsies every whit!
They live on what they steal. Their wings
By briars are frayed a bit.
Their loves are light. They have no house.
And if it rains today,
They'll climb into your cattle-shed,
They'll climb into your cattle-shed,
They'll climb into your cattle-shed,
And hide them in the hay,
And hide them in the hay,
And hide them in the hay,
And hide them in the hay.
Scheme | x AAAbxbCDcDCDEEEdxf GFGFGFhxhxiJJJIIII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101 0111010 0111010 0111010 110111 1101111 1100101 1010101 110101 01010101 110101 1010101 110101 11010101 11010101 11010101 010101 11010101 111101 11110101 111111 11110101 111111 11110101 111111 1000100101001 11111111 111101 11111111 011101 11011101 11011101 11011101 011001 011001 011001 011001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,146 |
Words | 218 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 18, 18 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 305 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 71 Views
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"The King of Yellow Butterflies" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37374/the-king-of-yellow-butterflies>.
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