Analysis of What Semiramis Said

Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)



The moon's a steaming chalice,
Of honey and venom-wine.
A little of it sipped by night
Makes the long hours divine.
But oh, my reckless lovers,
They drain the cup and wail,
Die at my feet with shaking limbs
And tender lips all pale.
Above them in the sky it bends
Empty and gray and dead.
To-morrow night 'tis full again,
Golden, and foaming red.


Scheme ABCBDEFEGHIH
Poetic Form
Metre 0101010 1100101 01011111 1011001 1111010 110101 11111101 010111 01100111 100101 11011101 100101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 354
Words 67
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 267
Words per stanza (avg) 65
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

20 sec read
423

Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. more…

All Vachel Lindsay poems | Vachel Lindsay Books

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