Analysis of Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum
William Gay 1865 (Scotland) – 1897
O steep and rugged Life, whose harsh ascent
Slopes blindly upward through the bitter night!
They say that on thy summit, high in light,
Sweet rest awaits the climber, travel-spent;
But I, alas, with dusty garments rent,
With fainting heart and failing limbs and sight,
Can see no glimmer of the shining height,
And vainly list, with body forward bent,
To catch athwart the gloom one wandering note
Of those glad anthems which (they say) are sung
When one emerges from the mists below:
But though, O Life, thy summit be remote
And all thy stony path with darkness hung,
Yet ever upward through the night I go.
Scheme | ABBAABBACDECDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011101 1101010101 1111110101 1101010101 1101110101 1101010101 1111010101 0101110101 11010111001 1111011111 1101010101 1111110101 0111011101 1101010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 616 |
Words | 110 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 480 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 108 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 80 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40618/vestigia-nulla-retrorsum>.
Discuss this William Gay 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