Analysis of Nocturne

Lola Ridge 1873 – 1941



Indigo bulb of darkness
  Punctured by needle lights
  Through a fissure of brick canyon shutting out stars,
  And a sliver of moon
  Spigoting two high windows over the West river….
  Boy, I met to-night,
  Your eyes are two red-glowing arcs shifting with my vision….
  They reflect as in a fading proof
  The deadened eyes of a woman,
  And your shed virginity,
  Light as the withered pod of a sweet pea,
  Moist and fragrant
  Blows against my soul.
  What are you to me, boy,
  That I, who have passed so many lights,
  Should carry your eyes
  Like swinging lanterns?


Scheme ABCDEFGHGIIJKLBMN
Poetic Form
Metre 101110 101101 101011101011 001011 11110100110 11111 11111101101110 101100101 0111010 0110100 1101011011 1010 10111 111111 111111101 11011 11010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 569
Words 100
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 17
Lines Amount 17
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 426
Words per stanza (avg) 98
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
112

Lola Ridge

Lola Ridge was an anarchist poet and an influential editor of avant-garde feminist and Marxist publications best remembered for her long poems and poetic sequences She along with other political poets of the early Modernist period has been coming under increasing critical scrutiny at the beginning of the twenty-first century more…

All Lola Ridge poems | Lola Ridge Books

0 fans

Discuss this Lola Ridge poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Nocturne" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25913/nocturne>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    19
    hours
    6
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of these famous poems is written in villanelle form?
    A Funeral Blues
    B The Owl And The Pussycat
    C Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
    D Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night