Analysis of Threnody
Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)
Lilacs blossom just as sweet
Now my heart is shattered.
If I bowled it down the street,
Who's to say it mattered?
If there's one that rode away
What would I be missing?
Lips that taste of tears, they say,
Are the best for kissing.
Eyes that watch the morning star
Seem a little brighter;
Arms held out to darkness are
Usually whiter.
Shall I bar the strolling guest,
Bind my brow with willow,
When, they say, the empty breast
Is the softer pillow?
That a heart falls tinkling down,
Never think it ceases.
Every likely lad in town
Gathers up the pieces.
If there's one gone whistling by
Would I let it grieve me?
Let him wonder if I lie;
Let him half believe me.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IXIXJKJK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110111 111110 1111101 111110 1111101 111110 1111111 101110 1110101 101010 1111101 100010 1110101 11111 1110101 101010 10111001 101110 10010101 101010 1111101 111111 1110111 111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 646 |
Words | 128 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 171 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 42 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 23, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 186 Views
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"Threnody" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8281/threnody>.
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