Analysis of Inspiration
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
Not like a daring, bold, aggressive boy,
Is inspiration, eager to pursue,
But rather like a maiden, fond, yet coy,
Who gives herself to him who best doth woo.
Once she may smile, or thrice, thy soul to fire,
In passing by, but when she turns her face,
Thou must persist and seek her with desire,
If thou wouldst win the favor of her grace.
And if, like some winged bird she cleaves the air,
And leaves thee spent and stricken on the earth,
Still must thou strive to follow even there,
That she may know thy valor and thy worth.
Then shall she come unveiling all her charms,
Giving thee joy for pain, and smiles for tears;
Then shalt thou clasp her with possessing arms,
The while she murmurs music in thine ears.
But ere her kiss has faded from thy cheek,
She shall flee from thee over hill and glade,
So must thou seek and ever seek and seek
For each new conquest of this phantom maid.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GXGX HIHI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (80%) Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1101010101 101010101 1101010111 1101111111 11111111110 0101111101 11010101010 1111010101 0111111101 0111010101 1111110101 1111110011 1111010101 1011110111 1111010101 0111010011 1101110111 1111110101 1111010101 1111011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 899 |
Words | 171 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 138 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 162 Views
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"Inspiration" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10664/inspiration>.
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