Analysis of 406 [unfinished]
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
I do not know the meaning of the sign,
But bend before its power, as a reed bends
When the black tornado fills the valley to the lips.
Three times in twenty years its shape has come
On lines of fire on the black veil of mystery;
At first, tho' strange, it seemed familiar,
And lingered on the mind as if at rest;
The second time if flashed a thrill came, too,
For supernature spoke, or tried to speak;
The third time, like a blow upon the eyes,
It stood before me, as a page might say:
'Read, read,—and do not call for other warning'.
Scheme | ABCDEFGHIJKL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010101 11011101011 101011010101 1101011111 1111010111100 111111010 0101011111 0101110111 1111111 0111010101 1101110111 11011111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 533 |
Words | 108 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 12 |
Lines Amount | 12 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 407 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 105 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 93 Views
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"406 [unfinished]" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21964/406-%5Bunfinished%5D>.
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