Analysis of A Church Romance
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
(MELLSTOCK circa 1835)
She turned in the high pew, until her sight
Swept the west gallery, and caught its row
Of music-men with viol, book, and bow
Against the sinking sad tower-window light.
She turned again; and in her pride's despite
One strenuous viol's inspirer seemed to throw
A message from his string to her below,
Which said: "I claim thee as my own forthright!"
Thus their hearts' bond began, in due time signed.
And long years thence, when Age had scared Romance,
At some old attitude of his or glance
That gallery-scene would break upon her mind,
With him as minstrel, ardent, young, and trim,
Bowing "New Sabbath" or "Mount Ephraim."
Scheme | X ABXA ABBA CDDCXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 110 1100110101 1011000111 110111101 01010110101 1101000101 110011111 0101111001 1111111111 1111010111 0111111101 111101111 11001110101 1111010101 101101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 649 |
Words | 119 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 6 |
Lines Amount | 15 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 126 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 28 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 26 Views
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