Analysis of Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood
William Cullen Bryant 1794 (Cummington) – 1878 (New York City)
Stranger, if thou hast learned a truth which needs
No school of long experience, that the world
Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen
Enough of all its sorrows, crimes, and cares,
To tire thee of it, enter this wild wood
And view the haunts of nature. The calm shade
Shall bring a kindred calm, and the sweet breeze
That makes the green leaves dance, shall waft a balm
To thy sick heart. Thou wilt find nothing here
Of all that pained thee in the haunts of men,
And made thee loathe thy life. The primal curse
Fell, it is true, upon the unsinning earth,
But not in vengance. God hath yoked to guilt
Her pale tormentor, Misery. Hence these shades
Are still the abode of gladness; the thick roof
Of green and stirring branches is alive
And musical with birds, that sing and sport
In wantonness of spirit; while below
The squirrel, with raised paws and form erect,
Chirps merrily. Throngs of insects in the shade
Try their thin wings and dance in the warm beam.
That waked them into life. Even the green trees
Partake the deep contentment; as they bend
To the soft winds, the sun from the blue sky
Looks in and sheds a blessing on the scene.
Scarce less the cleft-born wildflower seems to enjoy
Existence, than the winged plunderer
That sucks its sweets. The mossy rocks themselves,
And the old and ponderous trunks of prostrate trees
That lead from knoll to knoll a causeway rude,
Or bridge the sunken brook, and their dark roots,
With all their roots upon them, twisting high,
Breathe fixed tranquility. The rivulet
Sends forth glad sounds, and tripping o'er its bed
Of pebbly sands, or leaping down the rocks
Seems, with continuous laughter, to rejoice
In its own being. Softly tread the marge,
Lest from her midway perch thou scare the wren
That dips her bill in water. The cool wind,
That stirs the stream in play, shall come to thee,
Like one that loves thee nor will let thee pass
Ungreeted, and shall give its light embrace.
Scheme | ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSFTGUVCWIXGYZVB1 2 3 4 J5 6 7 8 |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1011110111 11110100101 11110100011 0111110101 11011110111 0101110011 1101010011 1101111101 1111111101 1111100111 0111110101 111101011 110111111 0110100111 1100111011 1101010101 0100111101 01110101 0101110101 1100111001 1111010011 11101110011 0101010111 1011011011 1001010101 11011101101 0101011 111101101 001010011101 111111011 1101010111 1111011101 11010001 11110101011 111110101 11010010101 0111010101 110111101 1101010011 1101011111 1111111111 10111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,942 |
Words | 353 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 42 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,531 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 351 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:46 min read
- 49 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40292/inscription-for-the-entrance-to-a-wood>.
Discuss this William Cullen Bryant poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In