Analysis of A Dull Uncertain Brain,
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)
A dull uncertain brain,
But gifted yet to know
That God has cherubim who go
Singing an immortal strain,
Immortal here below.
I know the mighty bards,
I listen when they sing,
And now I know
The secret store
Which these explore
When they with torch of genius pierce
The tenfold clouds that cover
The riches of the universe
From God's adoring lover.
And if to me it is not given
To fetch one ingot thence
Of the unfading gold of Heaven
His merchants may dispense,
Yet well I know the royal mine,
And know the sparkle of its ore,
Know Heaven's truth from lies that shine--
Explored they teach us to explore.
Scheme | ABBABCDBEECFCFGCGCHEHE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010101 110111 111111 1010101 010101 110101 110111 0111 0101 1101 11111101 011110 0101010 1101010 011111110 111101 1011110 110101 11110101 01010111 11011111 01111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 583 |
Words | 113 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 22 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 478 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 113 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 17 Views
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"A Dull Uncertain Brain," Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/56422/a-dull-uncertain-brain%2C>.
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