Analysis of Cloves
Neil McLeod 1947 (Oxford)
Set in the Indian Ocean,
Off the African coast, but not far,
There's a fertile oasis surrounded by sea-
The Island of Zanzibar.
This mystical tropical haven
Set with palaces, palms and a fort,
Is dotted with trees that bear a spice
Which for centuries long has been sought.
The Caesars had seen it imported,
Though they knew not from whence it came.
They brought it by galley from Palestine
To relieve their dental pain.
This valuable spice was transported
By caravan over the sand,
From a port in the south of Arabia
And by dough from that far distant land.
The seeds of this spice have a fragrant oil,
An obtundant for which many strove.
We know the oil as Eugenol,
The remarkable spice is the clove.
Scheme | ABXB AXXX XXXX XCXC DEDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (60%) Etheree (25%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 10010010 101001111 101001001011 010110 110010010 111001001 110111101 111001111 010111010 11111111 111110110 1011101 110011010 1101001 10100110100 011111101 0111110101 1111101 110111 001001101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 689 |
Words | 129 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 111 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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"Cloves" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/68252/cloves>.
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