Analysis of Quatrains
Thomas Bailey Aldrich 1836 (Portsmouth) – 1907 (Boston)
BLACK Tragedy lets slip her grim disguise
And shows you laughing lips and roguish eyes;
But when, unmasked, gay Comedy appears,
How wan her cheeks are, and what heavy tears!
TWO things there are with Memory will abide,
Whatever else befall, while life flows by:
That soft cold hand-touch at the altar side;
The thrill that shook you at your child’s first cry.
LINKED to a clod, harassed, and sad
With sordid cares, she knew not life was sweet
Who should have moved in marble halls, and had
Kings and crown-princes at her feet.
ON READING ——
GREAT thoughts in crude, unshapely verse set forth
Lose half their preciousness, and ever must.
Unless the diamond with its own rich dust
Be cut and polished, it seems little worth.
IF my best wines mislike thy taste,
And my best service win thy frown,
Then tarry not, I bid thee haste;
There ’s many another Inn in town.
Scheme | AAXX BCBC DEDE X XFFX GHGH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1100110101 011101011 1101110001 1101101101 11111100101 101011111 1111110101 0111111111 11010101 1101111111 1111010101 10110101 110 11011111 11110101 0101011111 1101011101 1111111 01110111 11011111 1110010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 888 |
Words | 162 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 21 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 113 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 35 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Quatrains" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36067/quatrains>.
Discuss this Thomas Bailey Aldrich 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