Analysis of Oh, Thy Bright Eyes Must Answer Now
Emily Jane Brontë 1818 (Thornton) – 1848 (Haworth)
Oh, thy bright eyes must answer now,
When Reason, with a scornful brow,
Is mocking at my overthrow!
Oh, thy sweet tongue must plead for me
And tell why I have chosen thee!.
Stern Reason is to judgment come,
Arrayed in all her forms of gloom:
Wilt thou, my advocate, be dumb?
No, radiant angel, speak and say
Why I did cast the world away,
Why I have persevered to shun
The common paths that others run;
And on a strange road journeyed on,
Heedless, alike of wealth and power
Of glory's wreath and pleasure's flower.
These, once, indeed, seemed Beings Divine;
And they, perchance, heard vows of mine,
And saw my offerings on their shrine;
But careless gifts are seldom prized,
And mine were worthily despised.
So, with a ready heart, I swore
To seek their altar-stone no more;
And gave my spirit to adore
Thee, ever-present, phantom thing
My slave, my comrade, and my king.
A slave, because I rule thee still;
Incline thee to my changeful will,
And make thy influence good or ill:
A comrade, for by day and night
Thou art my intimate delight,
My darling pain that wounds and sears,
And wrings a blessing out from tears
By deadening me to earthly cares;
And yet, a king, though Prudence well
Have taught thy subject to rebel.
And am I wrong to worship where
Faith cannot doubt, nor hope despair,
Since my own soul can grant my prayer?
Speak, God of visions, plead for me,
And tell why I have chosen thee!.
Scheme | aaxbB cxcdd eexff ggghh iiijj kkkll xmmxx nnnbB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11111101 11010101 1101110 11111111 01111101 11011101 01010111 11110011 110010101 11110101 1110111 01011101 01011101 10111010 1110110 110111001 01011111 011100111 11011101 010101 11010111 11110111 01110101 11010101 1111011 01011111 0111111 011100111 0111101 11110001 11011101 01010111 110011101 01011101 11101110 01111101 11011101 11111111 11110111 01111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,373 |
Words | 259 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 136 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 32 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 13, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 56 Views
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"Oh, Thy Bright Eyes Must Answer Now" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12519/oh%2C-thy-bright-eyes-must-answer-now>.
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