Analysis of On the Stage

Arthur Symons 1865 (Milford Haven) – 1945



Lights, in a multi-coloured mist,
From indigo to amethyst,
A whirling mist of multi-coloured lights;
And after, wigs and tights,
Then faces, then a glimpse of profiles, then
Eyes, and a mist again;
And rouge, and always tights, and wigs, and tights.

You see the ballet so, and so,
From amethyst to indigo;
You see a dance of phantoms, but I see
A girl, who smiles to me;
Her cheeks, across the rouge, and in her eyes
I know what memories,
What memories and messages for me.


Scheme AABBCCB DDEEXXE
Poetic Form
Metre 10010101 1101100 0101110101 010101 110101111 100101 010110101 11001101 1100110 1101110111 011111 0101010001 111100 1100010011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 469
Words 89
Sentences 3
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 7, 7
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 181
Words per stanza (avg) 44
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

26 sec read
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Arthur Symons

Arthur William Symons, was a British poet, critic and magazine editor. more…

All Arthur Symons poems | Arthur Symons Books

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