Analysis of A PÆan
Edgar Allan Poe 1809 (Boston) – 1849 (Baltimore)
How shall the burial rite be read?
The solemn song be sung ?
The requiem for the loveliest dead,
That ever died so young?
Her friends are gazing on her,
And on her gaudy bier,
And weep ! - oh! to dishonor
Dead beauty with a tear!
They loved her for her wealth -
And they hated her for her pride -
But she grew in feeble health,
And they love her - that she died.
They tell me (while they speak
Of her 'costly broider'd pall')
That my voice is growing weak -
That I should not sing at all -
Or that my tone should be
Tun'd to such solemn song
So mournfully - so mournfully,
That the dead may feel no wrong.
But she is gone above,
With young Hope at her side,
And I am drunk with love
Of the dead, who is my bride. -
Of the dead - dead who lies
All perfum'd there,
With the death upon her eyes,
And the life upon her hair.
Thus on the coffin loud and long
I strike - the murmur sent
Through the grey chambers to my song,
Shall be the accompaniment.
Thou died'st in thy life's June -
But thou did'st not die too fair:
Thou did'st not die too soon,
Nor with too calm an air.
From more than fiends on earth,
Thy life and love are riven,
To join the untainted mirth
Of more than thrones in heaven -
Therefore, to thee this night
I will no requiem raise,
But waft thee on thy flight,
With a Pæan of old days.
Scheme | ABAB CXCD EFEF GHGX XIHI JFJF KDKD IXIX LDLD MNMN OPOP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (73%) |
Metre | 110100111 010111 01001011 110111 0111010 010101 0111010 110101 110101 01100101 1110101 0110111 111111 101011 1111101 1111111 111111 111101 1111 1011111 111101 111101 011111 1011111 101111 1011 1010101 0010101 11010101 110101 10110111 1100100 1110111 11111111 1111111 111111 111111 1101110 1100101 1111010 11111 1111001 111111 1011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,300 |
Words | 278 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 89 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 11, 2023
- 1:25 min read
- 206 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A PÆan" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8425/a-p%C3%86an>.
Discuss this Edgar Allan Poe 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