Analysis of I See Around Me Tombstone Grey
Emily Brontë 1818 (Thornton, West Yorkshire) – 1848 (Haworth)
I see around me
tombstones grey
Stretching their shadows far away.
Beneath the turf my footsteps tread
Lie low and lone the silent dead -
Beneath the turf - beneath the mould -
Forever dark, forever cold -
And my eyes cannot hold the tears
That memory hoards from vanished years
For Time and Death and Mortal pain
Give wounds that will not heal again -
Let me remember half the woe
I've seen and heard and felt below,
And Heaven itself - so pure and blest,
Could never give my spirit rest -
Sweet land of light! thy children fair
Know nought akin to our despair -
Nor have they felt, nor can they tell
What tenants haunt each mortal cell,
What gloomy guests we hold within -
Torments and madness, tears and sin!
Well - may they live in ectasy
Their long eternity of joy;
At least we would not bring them down
With us to weep, with us to groan,
No - Earth would wish no other sphere
To taste her cup of sufferings drear;
She turns from Heaven with a careless eye
And only mourns that we must die!
Ah mother, what shall comfort thee
In all this boundless misery?
To cheer our eager eyes a while
We see thee smile; how fondly smile!
But who reads not through that tender glow
Thy deep, unutterable woe:
Indeed no dazzling land above
Can cheat thee of thy children's love.
We all, in life's departing shine,
Our last dear longings blend with thine;
And struggle still and strive to trace
With clouded gaze, thy darling face.
We would not leave our native home
For any world beyond the Tomb.
No - rather on thy kindly breast
Let us be laid in lasting rest;
Or waken but to share with thee
A mutual immortality -
Scheme | ABBCCDDEXXX FFGGHHIIJJ EXXXXBKKAA LLFFMMNN OOXXGGAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011 11 1011101 0101111 11010101 01010101 01010101 01110101 110011101 11010101 11111101 11010101 11010101 010011101 11011101 11111101 110111001 11111111 11011101 11011101 1010101 111101 11010011 11111111 11111111 11111101 110111001 1111010101 01011111 11011101 01110100 111010101 11111101 111111101 1111 011100101 11111101 11010101 101110111 01010111 11011101 111110101 11010101 11011101 11110101 11011111 01000100 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,614 |
Words | 329 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 10, 10, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 47 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 251 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 61 |
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"I See Around Me Tombstone Grey" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/122657/i-see-around-me-tombstone-grey>.
Discuss this Emily Brontë poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In