Analysis of Time Of Disturbance

Robinson Jeffers 1887 (Allegheny) – 1962 (Carmel-by-the-Sea)



The best is, in war or faction or ordinary vindictive
     life, not to take sides.
Leave it for children, and the emotional rabble of the
     streets, to back their horse or support a brawler.

But if you are forced into it: remember that good and
     evil are as common as air, and like air shared
By the panting belligerents; the moral indignation that
     hoarsens orators is mostly a fool.

Hold your nose and compromise; keep a cold mind. Fight,
     if needs must; hate no one. Do as God does,
Or the tragic poets: they crush their man without hating
     him, their Lear or Hitler, and often save without
     love.

As for these quarrels, they are like the moon, recurrent
     and fantastic. They have their beauty but night's
     is better.
It is better to be silent than make a noise. It is better
     to strike dead than strike often. It is better not
     to strike.

Submitted by Holt


Scheme XXXA XXXX XXXXX XXAAXX X
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 011011101100010 11111 111100001001010 1111110101 11111011010110 101110110111 101001000100101 110011001 11101010111 1111111111 10101011110110 111110010101 1 1111011101010 00101111011 110 1110111011011110 111111011101 11 01011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 889
Words 159
Sentences 12
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 5, 6, 1
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 132
Words per stanza (avg) 31
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
84

Robinson Jeffers

John Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. more…

All Robinson Jeffers poems | Robinson Jeffers Books

2 fans

Discuss this Robinson Jeffers poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Time Of Disturbance" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32899/time-of-disturbance>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    23
    days
    22
    hours
    2
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the _______
    A sense
    B change
    C difference
    D choice