Analysis of The New Ezekiel

Emma Lazarus 1849 (New York City) – 1887 (New York City)



What, can these dead bones live, whose sap is dried
By twenty scorching centuries of wrong?
Is this the House of Israel, whose pride
Is as a tale that's told, an ancient song?
Are these ignoble relics all that live
Of psalmist, priest, and prophet? Can the breath
Of very heaven bid these bones revive,
Open the graves and clothe the ribs of death?

Yea, Prophesy, the Lord hath said. Again
Say to the wind, Come forth and breathe afresh,
Even that they may live upon these slain,
And bone to bone shall leap, and flesh to flesh.
The Spirit is not dead, proclaim the word,
Where lay dead bones, a host of armed men stand!
I ope your graves, my people, saith the Lord,
And I shall place you living in your land.


Scheme ABABCDCD XEXEXFXF
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111111 1101010011 1101110011 1101111101 1101010111 111010101 1101011101 1001010111 11011101 1101110101 1011110111 0111110111 0101110101 1111011111 1111110101 0111110011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 717
Words 136
Sentences 9
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 274
Words per stanza (avg) 67
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 08, 2023

41 sec read
97

Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus was a poet born in New York City. more…

All Emma Lazarus poems | Emma Lazarus Books

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