Analysis of The Orphan
Letitia Elizabeth Landon 1802 (Chelsea) – 1838 (Cape Coast)
Alone, alone! - no other face
Wears kindred smile, kindred line;
And yet they say my mother's eyes.
They say my father's brow, is mine;
And either had rejected to see
The other's likeness in my face,
But now it is a stranger's eye,
That finds some long forgotten trace.
I heard them name my father's death,
His home and tomb alike the wave;
And I was early taught to weep,
Beside my youthful mother's grave.
I wish I could recall one look, -
But only one familiar tone;
If I had aught of memory,
I should not feel so all alone.
My heart is gone beyond the grave,
In search of love I cannot find,
Till I could fancy soothing words
Are whisper'd by the ev'ning wind:
I gaze upon the watching stars,
So clear, so beautiful above,
Till I could dream they look on me
With something of an answering love.
My mother! does thy gentle eye
Look from those distant stars on me?
Or does the wind at ev'ning bear
A message to thy child from thee?
Dost thou pine for me, as I pine
Again a parent's love to share?
I often kneel beside thy grave,
And pray to be a sleeper there.
The vesper bell! - 'tis eventide,
I will not weep, but I will pray:
God of the fatherless, 'tis Thou
Alone canst be the orphan's stay!
Earth's meanest flower, heaven's mightiest star,
Are equal to their Maker's love.
And I can say, 'Thy will be done,'
With eyes that fix their hopes above.
Scheme | ABXBCADA XEXEXFCF EGXGXHCH DCICBIEI GJXJXHXH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (23%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 01011101 1101101 01111101 11110111 010101011 01010011 11110101 11110101 11111101 11010101 01110111 01110101 1111111 11010101 11111100 11111101 11110101 01111101 11110101 11010111 11010101 11110001 11111111 110111001 11011101 11110111 11011111 01011111 11111111 01010111 11010111 01110101 010111 11111111 11010011 0111011 11010101001 11011101 01111111 11111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,322 |
Words | 263 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 206 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 52 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:22 min read
- 59 Views
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"The Orphan" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25719/the-orphan>.
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