Analysis of A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L.
Sidney Lanier 1842 (Macon) – 1881 (Lynn)
By Sidney and Clifford Lanier.
O wish that's vainer than the plash
Of these wave-whimsies on the shore:
"Give us a pearl to fill the gash --
God, let our dead friend live once more!"
O wish that's stronger than the stroke
Of yelling wave and snapping levin;
"God, lift us o'er the Last Day's smoke,
All white, to Thee and her in Heaven!"
O wish that's swifter than the race
Of wave and wind in sea and sky;
Let's take the grave-cloth from her face
And fall in the grave, and kiss, and die!
Look! High above a glittering calm
Of sea and sky and kingly sun,
She shines and smiles, and waves a palm --
And now we wish -- Thy will be done!
Scheme | X ABAB CXCD EFEF GDGD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11001001 1111101 1111101 11011101 111011111 11110101 110101010 111100111 111100010 11110101 11010101 11011101 010010101 110101001 11010101 11010101 01111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 636 |
Words | 130 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 17 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 95 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 90 Views
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"A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/34734/a-sea-shore-grave.-to-m.-j.-l.>.
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