Analysis of Blue Evening

Rupert Brooke 1887 (Rugby) – 1915 (Aegean Sea)



My restless blood now lies a-quiver,
 Knowing that always, exquisitely,
This April twilight on the river
 Stirs anguish in the heart of me.

For the fast world in that rare glimmer
 Puts on the witchery of a dream,
The straight grey buildings, richly dimmer,
 The fiery windows, and the stream

With willows leaning quietly over,
 The still ecstatic fading skies . . .
And all these, like a waiting lover,
 Murmur and gleam, lift lustrous eyes,

Drift close to me, and sideways bending
 Whisper delicious words.
                           But I
Stretch terrible hands, uncomprehending,
 Shaken with love; and laugh; and cry.

My agony made the willows quiver;
 I heard the knocking of my heart
Die loudly down the windless river,
 I heard the pale skies fall apart,

And the shrill stars' unmeaning laughter,
 And my voice with the vocal trees
Weeping.  And Hatred followed after,
 Shrilling madly down the breeze.

In peace from the wild heart of clamour,
 A flower in moonlight, she was there,
Was rippling down white ways of glamour
 Quietly laid on wave and air.

Her passing left no leaf a-quiver.
 Pale flowers wreathed her white, white brows.
Her feet were silence on the river;
 And 'Hush!' she said, between the boughs.


Scheme ABAB ACAC ADAD EXFEF AGAG AHAH AIAI AJAJ
Poetic Form
Metre 110111010 1011100 11011010 11000111 101101110 1101101 011101010 010010001 111010010 01010101 011101010 10011101 11110110 100101 11 110011 10110101 110010110 11010111 11010110 11011101 0011110 01110101 100101010 110101 01101111 01001111 1100111110 10011101 010111010 11010111 010101010 01110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,197
Words 203
Sentences 14
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 116
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 23, 2023

1:00 min read
101

Rupert Brooke

Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". more…

All Rupert Brooke poems | Rupert Brooke Books

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