Analysis of The Bridal Ballad

Edgar Allan Poe 1809 (Boston) – 1849 (Baltimore)



The ring is on my hand,
And the wreath is on my brow;
Satin and jewels grand
Are all at my command,
And I am happy now.

And my lord he loves me well;
But, when first he breathed his vow,
I felt my bosom swell-
For the words rang as a knell,
And the voice seemed his who fell
In the battle down the dell,
And who is happy now.

But he spoke to re-assure me,
And he kissed my pallid brow,
While a reverie came o'er me,
And to the church-yard bore me,
And I sighed to him before me,
Thinking him dead D'Elormie,
'Oh, I am happy now!'

And thus the words were spoken,
And this the plighted vow,
And, though my faith be broken,
And, though my heart be broken,
Here is a ring, as token
That I am happy now!

Would God I could awaken!
For I dream I know not how!
And my soul is sorely shaken
Lest an evil step be taken,-
Lest the dead who is forsaken
May not be happy now.


Scheme ABAAB CBCCCCB DBDDDDB EBEEEB EBEEEB
Poetic Form
Metre 011111 0011111 100101 111101 011101 0111111 1111111 111101 1011101 0011111 0010101 011101 11111011 0111101 101001101 0101111 01111011 10111 111101 0101010 01011 0111110 0111110 1101110 111101 1111010 1111111 01111010 11101110 10111010 111101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 840
Words 184
Sentences 8
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 5, 7, 7, 6, 6
Lines Amount 31
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 129
Words per stanza (avg) 36
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

55 sec read
176

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. more…

All Edgar Allan Poe poems | Edgar Allan Poe Books

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