Analysis of The Ancient Elf
James Stephens 1882 (Dublin) – 1950
I am the maker,
The builder, the breaker,
The eagle-winged helper,
The speedy forsaker!
The lance and the lyre,
The water, the fire,
The tooth of oppression,
The lip of desire!
The snare and the wing,
They honey, the sting!
When you seek for me--look
For a different thing!
I, careless and gay,
Never mean what I say,
For my thoughts and my eyes
Look the opposite way!
| Scheme | AAAA XAXA BBXB CCXC |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Quatrain (50%) |
| Metre | 11010 010010 010110 0101 01001 010010 011010 011010 01001 11001 111111 101001 11001 101111 111011 101001 |
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 361 |
| Words | 70 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 4 |
| Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
| Lines Amount | 16 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
| Words per line (avg) | 4 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 70 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 17 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 21 sec read
- 387 Views
1 fan
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Ancient Elf" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20523/the-ancient-elf>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss this James Stephens poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In