Analysis of From The Break The Nightingale

William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)



From the brake the Nightingale
Sings exulting to the Rose;
Though he sees her waxing pale
In her passionate repose,
While she triumphs waxing frail,
Fading even while she glows;
Though he knows
How it goes -
Knows of last year's Nightingale
Dead with last year's Rose.

Wise the enamoured Nightingale,
Wise the well-beloved Rose!
Love and life shall still prevail,
Nor the silence at the close
Break the magic of the tale
In the telling, though it shows -
Who but knows
How it goes! -
Life a last year's Nightingale,
Love a last year's Rose.


Scheme abababbBab abaxabbBab
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1010100 1010101 1110101 0010001 1110101 1010111 111 111 1111100 11111 101100 101011 1011101 1010101 1010101 0010111 111 111 1011100 10111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 529
Words 99
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 10, 10
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 212
Words per stanza (avg) 49
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
82

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus". more…

All William Ernest Henley poems | William Ernest Henley Books

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