Analysis of Quam Tempus Fugit

Alan S Jeeves 1951 (Lancashire)



Watch it haste and watch it fly,
Why try espy it flashing by?
Now you see it, now you don't,
Then you heard it ~ now you won't.

First it's here and then it's gone,
It's much the same for everyone.
Like a cloud high in the air
Glance once more and it's not there.

Like a bubble drifting past,
Though you know it cannot last.
A tranquil breeze, the bubble stops ~
Attempt to touch!  the bubble pops.

Where it stems from no one knows;
No one sees to where it goes.
You know it's there but you can't find...
As not a trace it leaves behind.

Man can't beat this mighty force,
To try and try he'll fail, of course;
He'll never grasp the wheres and whys
Quam tempus fugit ~ how time flies!


Scheme AABB XXCC DDEE FFGG HHII
Poetic Form Quatrain  (80%)
Etheree  (35%)
Metre 1110111 11101101 1111111 1111111 1110111 1101110 1011001 1110111 1010101 1111101 01010101 01110101 1111111 1111111 11111111 11011101 1111101 11011111 11010101 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 663
Words 136
Sentences 11
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 102
Words per stanza (avg) 27

About this poem

Another early ASJ poem, this time from 1974. I hope that you can find the time to read it.

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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on June 21, 2021

Modified on April 22, 2023

44 sec read
24

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

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