Analysis of Ultima Thule: The Iron Pen
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)
I thought this Pen would arise
From the casket where it lies--
Of itself would arise and write
My thanks and my surprise.
When you gave it me under the pines,
I dreamed these gems from the mines
Of Siberia, Ceylon, and Maine
Would glimmer as thoughts in the lines;
That this iron link from the chain
Of Bonnivard might retain
Some verse of the Poet who sang
Of the prisoner and his pain;
That this wood from the frigate's mast
Might write me a rhyme at last,
As it used to write on the sky
The song of the sea and the blast.
But motionless as I wait,
Like a Bishop lying in state
Lies the Pen, with its mitre of gold,
And its jewels inviolate.
Then must I speak, and say
That the light of that summer day
In the garden under the pines
Shall not fade and pass away.
I shall see you standing there,
Caressed by the fragrant air,
With the shadow on your face,
And the sunshine on your hair.
I shall hear the sweet low tone
Of a voice before unknown,
Saying, 'This is from me to you--
From me, and to you alone.'
And in words not idle and vain
I shall answer and thank you again
For the gift, and the grace of the gift,
O beautiful Helen of Maine!
And forever this gift will be
As a blessing from you to me,
As a drop of the dew of your youth
On the leaves of an aged tree.
Scheme | AAXA BBCB CCXC DDXD EEXX FFBF GGXG HHXH CXXC IIXI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 1111101 1010111 10110101 110101 111111001 1111101 101000101 11011001 11101101 11101 11101011 10100011 11110101 1110111 11111101 01101001 1100111 10101001 101111011 01100100 111101 10111101 00101001 1110101 1111101 0110101 101111 001111 1110111 1010101 10111111 1101101 00111001 111001101 101001101 11001011 00101111 10101111 101101111 1011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,247 |
Words | 260 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 98 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 123 Views
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"Ultima Thule: The Iron Pen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/18990/ultima-thule%3A-the-iron-pen>.
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