Analysis of Science
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
Alone I climb the steep ascending path
Which leads to knowledge. In the babbling throngs
That hurry after, shouting to the world
Small fragments of large truths, there is not one
Who comprehends my purpose, or who sees
The ultimate great goal. Why, even she,
My heaven intended Spouse, my other self,
Religion, turns her beauteous face on me
With hatred in the eyes, where love should dwell.
While those who call me Master blindly run,
Wounding the ear of Faith with blasphemies,
And making useless slaughter in my name.
Mine is the difficult slow task to blaze
A road of Facts, through labyrinths of dreams
To tear down Maybe and establish IS:
And substitute I Know for I Believe.
I follow closely where the Seers have led:
But that intangible dim path of theirs,
Which may be trodden but by other Seers,
I seek to render solid for the feet
Of all mankind. With reverent hands I lift
The mask from Mystery: and show the face
Of Reason, smiling bravely on the world.
The visions of the prophets, one by one,
Grew visible beneath my tireless touch:
And the white secrets of elusive stars
I tell aloud, to listening multitudes.
To fit the better world my toil ensures,
Time will impregnate with a better race
The Future's womb: and when the hour is ripe,
To ready eyes of men, the alien spheres
Shall seem as friendly neighbours: and my skill
Shall make their music audible to ears
Which will be tuned to those high harmonies.
Mine is the work to fashion, step by step,
The shining Way that leads from man to God.
Though I demolish obstacles of creeds
And blast tradition, from the face of earth,
My hand shall open wide the door of Truth,
Whose other name is Faith: and at the end
Of this most holy labour, I shall turn
To see Religion, with enlightened eyes,
Seeking the welcome of my outstretched arms.
While all the world stands hushed and awed before
The proven splendour of the Fact Supreme.
Scheme | XABCDEXEXCAX XXXXXXXXXFBCXXX XFXGXGD XXXXXXXXXXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 0111010101 11110001001 1101010101 1101111111 101110111 0100111101 11001011101 010101111 1100011111 1111110101 10011111 0101010011 1101001111 01111111 1111000101 010111101 1101010111 1101001111 1111011101 1111010101 11111100111 0111000101 1101010101 0101010111 11000111001 0011010101 1101110010 1101011101 110110101 01010101011 11011101001 111101011 1111010011 1111111100 1101110111 0101111111 1101010011 0101010111 1111010111 1101110101 111101111 1101010101 1001011011 1101110101 010110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,859 |
Words | 345 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 15, 7, 11 |
Lines Amount | 45 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 376 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 86 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:43 min read
- 132 Views
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"Science" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10779/science>.
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