Analysis of Perplexed Music

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)



EXPERIENCE, like a pale musician, holds
A dulcimer of patience in his hand,
Whence harmonies, we cannot understand,
Of God; will in his worlds, the strain unfolds
In sad-perplexed minors: deathly colds
Fall on us while we hear, and countermand
Our sanguine heart back from the fancyland
With nightingales in visionary wolds.
We murmur ' Where is any certain tune
Or measured music in such notes as these ? '
But angels, leaning from the golden seat,
Are not so minded their fine ear hath won
The issue of completed cadences,
And, smiling down the stars, they whisper--
     SWEET.


Scheme ABBAABBACDEFGHE
Poetic Form
Metre 01001010101 0100110011 110011001 1110110101 010110101 11111101 101011101 1101001 1101110101 1101001111 1101010101 1111011111 0101010100 010101110 1
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 574
Words 100
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15
Lines Amount 15
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 455
Words per stanza (avg) 99
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

29 sec read
132

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. more…

All Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems | Elizabeth Barrett Browning Books

20 fans

Discuss this Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Perplexed Music" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10249/perplexed-music>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    18
    hours
    56
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem 'My Shadow'?
    A Maya Angelou
    B Edgar Allan Poe
    C Sylvia Plath
    D Robert Louis Stevenson