Analysis of The Spirit of Air

Walter de la Mare 1873 (Charlton, London) – 1956 (Twickenham)



Coral and clear emerald,
And amber from the sea,
Lilac-coloured amethyst,
Chalcedony;
The lovely Spirit of Air
Floats on a cloud and doth ride,
Clad in the beauties of earth
Like a bride.

So doth she haunt me; and words
Tell but a tithe of the tale.
Sings all the sweetness of Spring
Even in the nightengale?
Nay, but with echoes she cries
Of the valley of love;
Dews on the thorns of her feet,
And darkness above.


Scheme XAXAXBXB XXXXXCXC
Poetic Form
Metre 100110 010101 110100 100 0101011 1101011 1001011 101 1111101 1101101 1101011 1000100 1111011 101011 1101101 01001
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 421
Words 80
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 20
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 162
Words per stanza (avg) 39
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
128

Walter de la Mare

Walter John de la Mare was an English poet short story writer and novelist best remembered for his works for children and The Listeners He was born in Kent and was educated at St Pauls Cathedral School His first book Songs of Childhood was published under the name Walter Ramal His 1921 novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction more…

All Walter de la Mare poems | Walter de la Mare Books

1 fan

Discuss this Walter de la Mare poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Spirit of Air" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/38332/the-spirit-of-air>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Walter de la Mare

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    19
    hours
    51
    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?

    »
    Shall I compare thee to a summer's _______?
    A day
    B dream
    C ray
    D night