Analysis of In the Orchard
James Stephens 1882 (Dublin) – 1950
There was a giant by the Orchard Wall
Peeping about on this side and on that,
And feeling in the trees: he was as tall
As the big apple tree, and twice as fat:
His beard was long, and bristly-black, and there
Were leaves and bits of grass stuck in his hair.
He held a great big club in his right hand,
And with the other felt in every tree
For something that he wanted. You could stand
Beside him and not reach up to his knee
So mighty big he was—I feared he would
Turn round, and trample down to where I stood.
I tried to get away, but, as I slid
Under a bush, he saw me, and he bent
Far down and said, 'Where is the Princess hid?'
I pointed to a place, and off he went—
But while he searched I turned and simply flew
Round by the lilac bushes back to you.
Scheme | ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010101 1001111011 0100011111 1011010111 111101101 0101111011 1101110111 01010101001 1101110111 0110111111 1101111111 1101011111 1111011111 1001111011 1101110101 1101010111 1111110101 110110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 770 |
Words | 160 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 18 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 192 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 52 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 91 Views
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"In the Orchard" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20516/in-the-orchard>.
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