Analysis of Bells in the Rain

Elinor Wylie 1885 (Somerville) – 1928



Sleep falls, with limpid drops of rain,
Upon the steep cliffs of the town.
Sleep falls; men are at peace again
While the small drops fall softly down.

The bright drops ring like bells of glass
Thinned by the wind; and lightly blown;
Sleep cannot fall on peaceful grass
So softly as it falls on stone.

Peace falls unheeded on the dead
Asleep; they have had deep peace to drink;
Upon a live man’s bloody head
It falls most tenderly, I think.


Scheme XAXA BCBC DEDE
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1111111 01011101 11111101 10111101 01111111 11010101 11011101 11011111 11010101 011111111 01011101 11110011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 430
Words 82
Sentences 4
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 115
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted by halel on July 14, 2020

Modified on May 02, 2023

24 sec read
69

Elinor Wylie

Elinor Morton Wylie was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry." more…

All Elinor Wylie poems | Elinor Wylie Books

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