Analysis of The Purple Thread
Katharine Lee Bates 1859 (Falmouth) – 1929 (Wellesley)
'The priests distributed various coloured silken threads to weave for the veil of the sanctuary; and it fell to Mary's lot to weave purple.'
—The Book of the Bee, ch. XXXIV.
I
THE chosen maidens, Weavers of the Veil,
Kneeling in crescent, from the High Priest took
Their wisps of silk in slender hands that shook
Lifting the colors to their lips rose-pale
With holy passion, —colors like the frail
Spring flowers of Carmel, blue as that glad look
Of dancing iris, scarlet as a nook
Of wild anemones, or gold as sail
Seen from its summit 'neath the Syrian moon.
But Mary caught her breath in one swift sob
Of pain uncomprehended ere it fled,
Leaving her heart with some strange fear a-throb,
For the wise priest, as one conferring boon,
Had meted out to her a purple thread.
II
O mothers of the race, ye blessèd ones
Who weave with cherubim the veil before
The Holy Place of God, the mystic door
Of life, proud mothers of belovèd sons,
To-day you send them forth to front the guns,
Waving your boys farewell with smiles that pour
Strength into their young souls. Your prayers implore
The Mercy Seat; your love, an angel, runs
Before them with wild, shielding arms outspread.
O Weavers of the Veil, however varies
The silk assigned, exceeding great reward
Is yours, for you —O you, most sacred Maries,
To whom is given grief's royal, purple thread —
Make beautiful the temple of the Lord.
Scheme | ABCDEEDDEEDFGHGFHCIJJIIJJIHKLIHL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010010010101111011010001111011110 0110111 1 0101010101 1001010111 1111010111 1001011111 1101010101 11010111111 1101010101 1111111 11110101001 1101010111 111111 1001111101 1011110101 1101100101 1 1101011111 11110101 0101110101 1111011011 1111111101 101111111 1011111101 0101111101 011111011 1101011010 0101010101 1111111101 11110110101 1100010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,373 |
Words | 252 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 32 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,088 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 249 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 1:15 min read
- 49 Views
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"The Purple Thread" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24913/the-purple-thread>.
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