Analysis of The Gloomy Night Is Gath'ring Fast
Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)
The gloomy night is gath'ring fast,
Loud roars the wild inconstant blast;
Yon murky cloud is filled with rain,
I see it driving o'er the plain;
The hunter now has left the moor,
The scatt'red coveys meet secure;
While here I wander, prest with care,
Along the lonely banks of Ayr.
The Autumn mourns her rip'ning corn
By early Winter's ravage torn;
Across her placid, azure sky,
She sees the scowling tempest fly;
Chill runs my blood to hear it rave:
I think upon the stormy wave,
Where many a danger I must dare,
Far from the bonie banks of Ayr.
'Tis not the surging billows' roar,
'Tis not the fatal, deadly shore;
Tho' death inev'ry shape appear,
The wretched have no more to fear:
But round my heart the ties are bound,
That heart transpierc'd with many a wound;
These bleed afresh, those ties I tear,
To leave the bonie banks of Ayr.
Farewell, old Coila's hills and dales,
Her heathy moors and winding vales;
The scenes where wretched Fancy roves,
Pursuing past, unhappy loves!
Farewell my friends! Farewell my foes!
My peace with these, my love with those--
The bursting tears my heart declare,
Farewell, my bonie banks of Ayr.
Scheme | AABBCCDE FFGGHHDE IIJJKKDE LLLXMMDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01011111 110111 11011111 111101001 01011101 011101 11110111 01010111 01010111 11010101 01010101 11010101 11111111 11010101 110010111 1101111 11010101 11010101 111101 01011111 11110111 11111001 11011111 1101111 111101 0110101 01110101 01010101 111111 11111111 01011101 111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,140 |
Words | 204 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 220 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 51 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 328 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Gloomy Night Is Gath'ring Fast" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30574/the-gloomy-night-is-gath%27ring-fast>.
Discuss this Robert Burns 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