Analysis of The Apparitions
William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton)
BECAUSE there is safety in derision
I talked about an apparition,
I took no trouble to convince,
Or seem plausible to a man of sense.
Distrustful of thar popular eye
Whether it be bold or sly.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.
I have found nothing half so good
As my long-planned half solitude,
Where I can sit up half the night
With some friend that has the wit
Not to allow his looks to tell
When I am unintelligible.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.
When a man grows old his joy
Grows more deep day after day,
His empty heart is full at length,
But he has need of all that strength
Because of the increasing Night
That opens her mystery and fright.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.
Scheme | aaxxbbCD xxexxxCD xxffeeCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111100010 11011010 11110101 1110010111 010111001 1011111 01010111 0101010110 11110111 1111110 11111101 1111101 11011111 11101000 01010111 0101010110 1011111 1111101 11011111 11111111 01100101 110010001 01010111 0101010110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 779 |
Words | 151 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 209 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 12, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 103 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Apparitions" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39439/the-apparitions>.
Discuss this William Butler Yeats 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