Analysis of Calm After Storm.
Giacomo Leopardi 1798 (Recanati) – 1837 (Naples)
The storm hath passed;
I hear the birds rejoice; the hen,
Returned into the road again,
Her cheerful notes repeats. The sky serene
Is, in the west, upon the mountain seen:
The country smiles; bright runs the silver stream.
Each heart is cheered; on every side revive
The sounds, the labors of the busy hive.
The workman gazes at the watery sky,
As standing at the door he sings,
His work in hand; the little wife goes forth,
And in her pail the gathered rain-drops brings;
The vendor of his wares, from lane to lane,
Begins his daily cry again.
The sun returns, and with his smile illumes
The villas on the neighboring hills;
Through open terraces and balconies,
The genial light pervades the cheerful rooms;
And, on the highway, from afar are heard
The tinkling of the bells, the creaking wheels
Of waggoner, his journey who resumes.
Cheered is each heart.
Whene'er, as now, doth life appear
A thing so pleasant and so dear?
When, with such love,
Does man unto his books or work return?
Or on himself new tasks impose?
When is he less regardful of his woes?
O pleasure, born of pain!
O idle joy, and vain,
Fruit of the fear just passed, which shook
The wretch who life abhorred, yet dreaded death!
With which each neighbor held his breath,
Silent, and cold, and wan,
Affrighted sore to see
The lightnings, clouds, and winds arrayed,
To do us injury!
O Nature courteous!
These are thy boons to us,
These the delights to mortals given!
Escape from pain, best gift of heaven!
Thou scatterest sorrows with a bounteous hand;
Grief springs spontaneous;
If, by some monstrous growth, miraculous,
Pleasure at times is born of pain,
It is a precious gain!
O human race, unto the gods so dear!
Too happy, in a respite brief
From any grief!
Then only blessed,
When Death releases thee unto thy rest!
Scheme | XAABBXCCXDXDEADXXFXXF XGGXXHHEEXIIXJXJ KKLLXKKEEGMMNN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111 11010101 01010101 0101010101 1001010101 0101110101 11111100101 0101010101 01010101001 11010111 1101010111 0001010111 0101111111 01110101 010101111 010101001 1101000100 0101010101 010110111 01001010101 1100110101 1111 1111101 01110011 1111 1110111101 11011101 11111111 110111 110101 11011111 0111011101 11110111 100101 1111 01010101 111100 110100 111111 100111010 011111110 11101011 110100 1111010100 10111111 110101 1101100111 11000101 1101 1101 1101011011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,745 |
Words | 322 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 21, 16, 14 |
Lines Amount | 51 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 465 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 107 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 21, 2023
- 1:36 min read
- 62 Views
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"Calm After Storm." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/55437/calm-after-storm.>.
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