Analysis of The Companions
Alfred Noyes 1880 (Wolverhampton) – 1958 (Isle of Wight)
How few are they that voyage through the night
On that eternal quest,
For that strange light beyond our light,
That rest beyond our rest.
And they who, seeking beauty, once descry
Her face, to most unknown;
Thenceforth like changelings from the sky
Must walk their road alone.
So once I dreamed. So idle was my mood;
But now, before these eyes,
From those foul trenches, black with blood,
What radiant legions rise!
And loveliness over the wounded earth awakes
Like wild-flowers in the Spring.
Out of the mortal chrysalis breaks
Immortal wing on wing.
They rise like flowers, they wander on wings of light,
Through realms beyond our ken.
The loneliest soul is companied tonight
By hosts of unknown men.
Scheme | ABAB XCXC XDXD DEXE AFAF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1111110101 110101 111101101 1101101 011101011 011101 111101 111101 1111110111 110111 11110111 1100101 011001011 1110001 110101001 010111 111101101111 1101101 0111101 111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 691 |
Words | 123 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 112 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 25 Views
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"The Companions" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1179/the-companions>.
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