Analysis of Not Yet
Katharine Lee Bates 1859 (Falmouth) – 1929 (Wellesley)
NOT yet hath Nature, lovely colorist,
Bestirred her from creative dream to fling
Soft flame upon the woods, —nay, not to dip
One pleading maple-tip
In carmine; all the waiting world is whist,
Alert to hear the first faint flutes of spring.
Not yet the tingling flood of blue and gold
Is poured through heaven, but o'er the misty pond,
Quiet as patterned silk, flushed saplings lean;
And the auspicious green
Through the deep woods and on the unpathed wold
Brightens in patient moss and wistful frond.
Not yet cascades of melody invoke
The holy dawn, but all the air perceives,
By some fine thrill, the rushing northward flight
Of myriad wings, despite
The nonchalances of this crookback oak,
Still clinging to its russet shreds of leaves.
Not yet the laughing hid-folk of the earth
Thrust Up white helm and golden coronet,
Sweet elfin host armored in gossamer,
But gentle tremors stir
The conscious mold; new beauty comes to birth
Under the snow's fast-melting coverlet.
Not yet, not yet the yearly miracle
Is wrought, but ecstasy is on the wing,
And her divine, irrevocable flight
Is swift as all delight.
The heart is hushed as for the sacring-bell,
Awe-smitten by expectancy of spring.
Scheme | ABCCABAADDAAEFAAEFGAHHGAIBAAJB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 11110101 101010111 1101011111 110101 0101010111 0111011111 11010011101 111101100101 1011011101 000101 101101011 1001010101 1101110001 0101110101 1111010101 1100101 011111 1101110111 1101011101 1111010101 1101100100 110101 0101110111 10011101 1111010100 1111001101 0001010001 111101 011111011 1101010011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,169 |
Words | 205 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 949 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 203 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:02 min read
- 146 Views
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"Not Yet" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24881/not-yet>.
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