Analysis of When the Shy Star Goes Forth in Heaven
James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)
When the shy star goes forth in heaven
All maidenly, disconsolate,
Hear you amid the drowsy even
One who is singing by your gate.
His song is softer than the dew
And he is come to visit you.
O bend no more in revery
When he at eventide is calling.
Nor muse: Who may this singer be
Whose song about my heart is falling?
Know you by this, the lover's chant,
'Tis I that am your visitant.
| Scheme | XAXAAX XBXBAA |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 101111010 111 110101010 11110111 11110101 01111101 111101 1111110 11111101 110111110 11110101 111111 |
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 393 |
| Words | 79 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 2 |
| Stanza Lengths | 6, 6 |
| Lines Amount | 12 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
| Words per line (avg) | 6 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 149 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 14, 2023
- 24 sec read
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