Analysis of Since Nine O'Clock
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
Half past twelve. Time has gone by quickly
since nine o'clock when I lit the lamp
and sat down here. I've been sitting without reading,
without speaking. Completely alone in the house,
whom could I talk to?
Since nine o'clock when I lit the lamp
the shade of my young body
has come to haunt me, to remind me
of shut scented rooms,
of past sensual pleasure - what daring pleasure.
And it's also brought back to me
streets now unrecognizable,
bustling night clubs now closed,
theatres and cafes no longer here.
The shade of my young body
also brought back the things that make us sad:
family grief, separations,
the feelings of my own people, feelings
of the dead so little acknowledged.
Half past twelve. How the time has gone by.
Half past twelve. How the years have gone by.
Scheme | aBxxx BAaxxaxxx Axxxx cc |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111111110 110111101 011111100110 011001001001 11111 110111101 0111110 111111011 11101 111001011010 01101111 1100100 1001111 100011101 0111110 1011011111 1001010 0101111010 101110010 111101111 111101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 783 |
Words | 143 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 9, 5, 2 |
Lines Amount | 21 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 152 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 24, 2023
- 44 sec read
- 96 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Since Nine O'Clock" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7228/since-nine-o%27clock>.
Discuss this Constantine P. Cavafy poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In