Analysis of A Valentine
Edgar Allan Poe 1809 (Boston) – 1849 (Baltimore)
For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure
Divine- a talisman- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-
The words- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets- as the name is a poet's, too,
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto- Mendez Ferdinando-
Still form a synonym for Truth- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.
Scheme | ABACCDCECFCFGAGHGBGH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111111001 10010101110 1101111101 01011110010 11000111010 0101001100 11111111010 0101001101 0111111110 01110111001 11110101010 111100101 1010111110 111111 110011100010 11011010110101 1101100010 1011011 1101011110 111101011101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 955 |
Words | 164 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 718 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 161 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 12, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 262 Views
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"A Valentine" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8426/a-valentine>.
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