Analysis of Nilsson

Sidney Lanier 1842 (Macon) – 1881 (Lynn)



A rose of perfect red, embossed
With silver sheens of crystal frost,
Yet warm, nor life nor fragrance lost.

High passion throbbing in a sphere
That Art hath wrought of diamond clear,
-- A great heart beating in a tear.

The listening soul is full of dreams
That shape the wondrous-varying themes
As cries of men or plash of streams.

Or noise of summer rain-drops round
That patter daintily a-ground
With hints of heaven in the sound.

Or noble wind-tones chanting free
Through morning-skies across the sea
Wild hymns to some strange majesty.

O, if one trope, clear-cut and keen,
May type the art of Song's best queen,
White-hot of soul, white-chaste of mien,

On Music's heart doth Nilsson dwell
As if a Swedish snow-flake fell
Into a glowing flower-bell.


Scheme AAA BBX CCC DDD EEE FFF GGG
Poetic Form
Metre 01101101 11011101 11111101 11010001 11111101 01110001 010011111 110101001 11111111 11110111 110101 11110001 11011101 11010101 11111100 11111101 11011111 11111111 11011101 11010111 01010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 740
Words 132
Sentences 7
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 85
Words per stanza (avg) 19
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
32

Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier was a poet, writer, composer, critic, professor of literature at Johns Hopkins and first flutist with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in Baltiimore. He wrote the Centennial cantata for the opening ceremony of the 1876 Centennial celebration in Philadelphia. more…

All Sidney Lanier poems | Sidney Lanier Books

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