Analysis of Stanzas: A Mother Gazes Upon Her Daughter, Arrayed For An Approaching Bridal.
Henry Timrod 1828 (Charleston) – 1867 (Columbia)
Written in Illustration of a Tableau Vivant
Is she not lovely! Oh! when, long ago,
My own dead mother gazed upon my face,
As I stood blushing near in bridal snow,
I had not half her beauty and her grace.
Yet that fond mother praised, the world caressed,
And ONE adored me -- how shall HE who soon
Shall wear my gentle flower upon his breast,
Prize to its utmost worth the priceless boon?
Shall he not gird her, guard her, make her rich,
(Not as the world is rich, in outward show,)
With all the love and watchful kindness which
A wise and tender manhood may bestow?
Oh! I shall part from her with many tears,
My earthly treasure, pure and undefiled!
And not without a weight of anxious fears
For the new future of my darling child.
And yet -- for well I know that virgin heart --
No wifely duty will she leave undone;
Nor will her love neglect that woman's art
Which courts and keeps a love already won.
In no light girlish levity she goes
Unto the altar where they wait her now,
But with a thoughtful, prayerful heart that knows
The solemn purport of a marriage vow.
And she will keep, with all her soul's deep truth,
The lightest pledge which binds her love and life;
And she will be -- no less in age than youth
My noble child will be -- a noble wife.
And he, her lover! husband! what of him?
Yes, he will shield, I think, my bud from blight!
Yet griefs will come -- enough! my eyes are dim
With tears I must not shed -- at least, to-night.
Bless thee, my daughter! -- Oh! she is so fair! --
Heaven bend above thee with its starriest skies!
And make thee truly all thou dost appear
Unto a lover's and thy mother's eyes!
Scheme | A BCBC ADAD EBEA XAXA AFAF GHGH IJIJ KAKA XLXL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10001010011 1111011101 1111010111 1111010101 1111010001 1111010101 0101111111 11110100111 111110101 1111010101 1101110101 1101010101 010101101 1111101101 11010101 0101011101 1011011101 0111111101 111011101 1101011101 1101010101 0111010011 1001011101 1101010111 010110101 0111110111 0101110101 0111110111 1101110101 0101010111 1111111111 1111011111 1111111111 1111011111 1010111111 0111011101 1001001101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,594 |
Words | 317 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 124 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:36 min read
- 119 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Stanzas: A Mother Gazes Upon Her Daughter, Arrayed For An Approaching Bridal." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/18272/stanzas%3A--a-mother-gazes-upon-her-daughter%2C-arrayed-for-an-approaching-bridal.>.
Discuss this Henry Timrod 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