Analysis of A Pinch of Salt
Robert Graves 1895 (Wimbledon) – 1985 (Deià)
When a dream is born in you
With a sudden clamorous pain,
When you know the dream is true
And lovely, with no flaw nor stain,
O then, be careful, or with sudden clutch
You'll hurt the delicate thing you prize so much.
Dreams are like a bird that mocks,
Flirting the feathers of his tail.
When you seize at the salt-box,
Over the hedge you'll see him sail.
Old birds are neither caught with salt nor chaff:
They watch you from the apple bough and laugh.
Poet, never chase the dream.
Laugh yourself, and turn away.
Mask your hunger; let it seem
Small matter if he come or stay;
But when he nestles in your hand at last,
Close up your fingers tight and hold him fast.
Scheme | ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1011101 101011 1110111 01011111 1111011101 11010011111 1110111 10010111 1111011 10011111 1111011111 1111010101 1010101 1010101 1110111 11011111 1111001111 1111010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 655 |
Words | 130 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 18 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 171 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 27, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 216 Views
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"A Pinch of Salt" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31093/a-pinch-of-salt>.
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