Analysis of Courage
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Today I opened wide my eyes,
And stared with wonder and surprise,
To see beneath November skies
An apple blossom peer;
Upon a branch as bleak as night
It gleamed exultant on my sight,
A fairy beacon burning bright
Of hope and cheer.
"Alas!" said I, "poor foolish thing,
Have you mistaken this for Spring?
Behold, the thrush has taken wing,
And Winter's near."
Serene it seemed to lift its head:
"The Winter's wrath I do not dread,
Because I am," it proudly said,
"A Pioneer.
"Some apple blossom must be first,
With beauty's urgency to burst
Into a world for joy athirst,
And so I dare;
And I shall see what none shall see -
December skies gloom over me,
And mock them with my April glee,
And fearless fare.
"And I shall hear what none shall hear -
The hardy robin piping clear,
The Storm King gallop dark and drear
Across the sky;
And I shall know what none shall know -
The silent kisses of the snow,
The Christmas candles' silver glow,
Before I die.
"Then from your frost-gemmed window pane
One morning you will look in vain,
My smile of delicate disdain
No more to see;
But though I pass before my time,
And perish in the grale and grime,
Maybe you'll have a little rhyme
To spare for me."
Scheme | AAABCCCB DDDBEEEB FFCGHHHG XBBIJJJI KKKHLLLH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (33%) Tetractys (30%) |
Metre | 01110111 01110001 11010101 110101 01011111 11010111 01010101 1101 01111101 11010111 01011101 0101 01111111 01011111 01111101 001 11010111 1110011 0101111 0111 01111111 01011101 01111101 0101 01111111 01010101 01110101 0101 01111111 01010101 01010101 0111 11111101 11011101 11110001 1111 11110111 01000101 10110101 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,161 |
Words | 230 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 183 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 930 Views
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"Courage" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32060/courage>.
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