Analysis of In Envy of Cows

Joseph Auslander 1897 (Philadelphia) – 1965 (Coral Gables)



The cow swings her head in a deep drowsy half-circle to and over
Flank and shoulder, lunging
At flies; then fragrantly plunging
Down at the web-washed grass and the golden clover,
Wrenching sideways to get the full tingle; with one warm nudge,
One somnolent wide smudge
Sacred to kine,
Crushing a murmurous of late lush August to wine!

The sky is even water-tone behind suave poplar trees—
Color of glass; the cows
Occasionally arouse
That color, disturb the pellucid cool poplar frieze
With beauty of motion slow and succinct like some grave privilege
Fulfilled. They taste the edge
Of August, they need
No more: they have rose vapors, flushed silence, pulpy milkweed.


Scheme ABBACCDD EFFECXGG
Poetic Form
Metre 01101001101101010 101010 111110 110111001010 1011101101111 110011 1011 10011111011 01110101011101 101101 0100001 11001011101 110110100111110 011101 11011 111111011011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 656
Words 112
Sentences 3
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 270
Words per stanza (avg) 56
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Submitted by halel on July 13, 2020

Modified on April 13, 2023

33 sec read
23

Joseph Auslander

Joseph Auslander was an American poet, anthologist, translator of poems, and novelist. Auslander was appointed the first Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1937 and 1941. more…

All Joseph Auslander poems | Joseph Auslander Books

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