Analysis of Gretna Green
Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)
Last night when I kissed you,
My soul caught alight;
And oh! how I missed you
The rest of the night -
Till Love in derision
Smote sleep with his wings,
And gave me in vision
Impossible things.
A night that was clouded,
Long windows asleep;
Dark avenues crowded
With secrets to keep.
A terrace, a lover,
A foot on the stair;
The waiting was over,
The lady was there.
What a flight, what a night!
The hoofs splashed and pounded.
Dark fainted in light
And the first bird-notes sounded.
You slept on my shoulder,
Shy night hid your face;
But dawn, bolder, colder,
Beheld our embrace.
Your lips of vermilion,
Your ravishing shape,
The flogging postillion,
The village agape,
The rattle and thunder
Of postchaise a-speed . . .
My woman, my wonder,
My ultimate need!
We two matched for mating
Came, handclasped, at last,
Where the blacksmith was waiting
To fetter us fast . . .
At the touch of the fetter
The dream snapped and fell -
And I woke to your letter
That bade me farewell.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFGFHIHI BEBGHJHJ CKCKHLHL MNMNHOHO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) Tetractys (23%) |
Metre | 111111 11101 011111 01101 110010 11111 011010 01001 011110 11001 11010 11011 010010 01101 010110 01011 101101 011010 11001 0011110 111110 11111 111010 11001 111010 11001 0101 01001 010010 1101 110110 11001 111110 1111 101110 11011 1011010 01101 0111110 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 944 |
Words | 176 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 19 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 150 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 36 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 20, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 64 Views
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