Analysis of The Questioner
William Watson 1858 (Burley in Wharfedale) – 1935 (Rottingdean)
I asked of heaven and earth and sea,
Saying: 'O wondrous trinity,
Deign to make answer unto me,
And tell me truly what ye be.'
And they made answer: 'Verily,
The mask before His face are we,
Because 'tis writ no man can see
His face and live;'-so spake the three.
Then I: 'O wondrous trinity,
A mask is but a mockery-
Make answer yet again to me
And tell if aught besides are ye.'
And they made answer: 'Verily,
The robe around His form are we,
That sick and sore mortality
May touch its hem and healèd be.'
Then I: 'O wondrous trinity,
Vouchsafe once more to answer me,
And tell me truly, what is He
Whose very mask and raiment ye?'
But they replied: 'Of Time are we,
And of Eternity is He.
Wait thou, and ask Eternity;
Belike his mouth shall answer thee.'
Scheme | aaaaBaaaAaaaBaaaAaaaaaaa |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111100101 10110100 11110101 01110111 011101 01011111 01111111 11011101 11110100 01110100 11010111 01110111 011101 01011111 11010100 11110111 11110100 1111101 01110111 1101011 11011111 01010011 11010100 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 743 |
Words | 154 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 568 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 146 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 44 sec read
- 42 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Questioner" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/42051/the-questioner>.
Discuss this William Watson 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