Analysis of A Better Thing

George MacDonald 1824 (Huntly) – 1905 (Ashtead)



I took it for a bird of prey that soared
High over ocean, battled mount, and plain;
'Twas but a bird-moth, which with limp horns gored
The invisibly obstructing window-pane!

Better than eagle, with far-towering nerve
But downward bent, greedy, marauding eye,
Guest of the flowers, thou art: unhurt they serve
Thee, little angel of a lower sky!


Scheme ABAB CDCD
Poetic Form Traditional rhyme
Quatrain 
Metre 1111011111 1101010101 1101111111 01010101 10110111001 1101100101 11010110111 1101010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 339
Words 59
Sentences 2
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4
Lines Amount 8
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 135
Words per stanza (avg) 29
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on March 07, 2023

17 sec read
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George MacDonald

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. more…

All George MacDonald poems | George MacDonald Books

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