Analysis of Pleasure

Charlotte Brontë 1816 (Thornton, West Yorkshire) – 1855 (Haworth)



A Short Poem or Else Not Say I

True pleasure breathes not city air,
Nor in Art's temples dwells,
In palaces and towers where
The voice of Grandeur dwells.

No! Seek it where high Nature holds
Her court 'mid stately groves,
Where she her majesty unfolds,
And in fresh beauty moves;

Where thousand birds of sweetest song,
The wildly rushing storm
And hundred streams which glide along,
Her mighty concert form!

Go where the woods in beauty sleep
Bathed in pale Luna's light,
Or where among their branches sweep
The hollow sounds of night.

Go where the warbling nightingale
In gushes rich doth sing,
Till all the lonely, quiet vale
With melody doth ring.

Go, sit upon a mountain steep,
And view the prospect round;
The hills and vales, the valley's sweep,
The far horizon bound.

Then view the wide sky overhead,
The still, deep vault of blue,
The sun which golden light doth shed,
The clouds of pearly hue.

And as you gaze on this vast scene
Your thoughts will journey far,
Though hundred years should roll between
On Time's swift-passing car.

To ages when the earth was yound,
When patriarchs, grey and old,
The praises of their god oft sung,
And oft his mercies told.

You see them with their beards of snow,
Their robes of ample form,
Their lives whose peaceful, gentle flow,
Felt seldom passion's storm.

Then a calm, solemn pleasure steals
Into your inmost mind;
A quiet aura your spirit feels,
A softened stillness kind.


Scheme X ABAB CXCX DEDE FGFG HIHI FJFJ KLKL MNMN GOXO PEPE QRQR
Poetic Form
Metre 011011111 11011101 101101 01000101 011011 11111101 011101 11010001 001101 11011101 010101 01011101 010101 11010101 10111 11011101 010111 110100100 010111 11010101 110011 11010101 010101 01010101 010101 11011101 011111 01110111 011101 01111111 111101 11011101 111101 11010111 110101 01011111 011101 11111111 111101 11110101 11011 10110101 01111 010101101 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,417
Words 252
Sentences 12
Stanzas 12
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 45
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 94
Words per stanza (avg) 21
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

1:17 min read
314

Charlotte Brontë

Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels are English literature standards. more…

All Charlotte Brontë poems | Charlotte Brontë Books

4 fans

Discuss this Charlotte Brontë poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Pleasure" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5522/pleasure>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Charlotte Brontë

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    15
    hours
    30
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Published in 1954, "Fighting Terms" was the first collection of poems by which poet?
    A Philip Larkin
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Ted Hughes
    D Thom Gunn