Analysis of Agnostic
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
The chapel looms against the sky,
Above the vine-clad shelves,
And as the peasants pass it by
They cross themselves.
But I alone, I grieve to state,
Lack sentiment divine:
A citified sophisticate,
I make no sign.
Their gesture may a habit be,
Mechanic in a sense,
Yet somehow it awakes in me
Strange reverence.
And though from ignorance it stem,
Somehow I deeply grieve,
And wish down in my heart like them
I could believe.
Suppose a cottage I should buy,
And little patch of vine,
With pure and humble spirit I
Might make the Sign.
Aye, though I godless way I go,
And sceptic in my trend,
A faith in something I don't know
Might save me in the end.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EXEXFGFG ADADHIHI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010101 010111 01010111 1101 11011111 110001 01010 1111 11010101 010001 111101 1100 01110011 11101 01101111 1101 01010111 010111 11010101 1101 11110111 01011 01010111 111001 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 725 |
Words | 124 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 168 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 46 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Agnostic" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31972/agnostic>.
Discuss this Robert William Service 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