Analysis of The Secret Seraph
Brady Bowen 1973 (Louisiana)
As I beheld a seraph
alighting on the spire
of the bell tower I tend
my thoughts flew even higher
her wings were like white blazing snow
under a whitewash winter sun
her hair like polished platinum
her grandeur seen by only one
her eyes like two raging fires
a face blazing like a star
a robe woven of praises
of the faithful near and far
In her hands she grasped a blade
solidified quicksilver
a holy blade of fury
but no one here can kill her
she turned her eyes upon me
my soul laid bare for her sight
her regard terrified me
but filled my mind with starlight
Son of man, you should not see me
it is not your time to die
avert your eyes and tell no one
I am eternity in guise
I come to weigh the hearts of man
and of woman’s worth to be sure
this world has gone aground you see
I hope to find one heart that’s pure
I could only fall down and weep
as she departed on the wing
and since I now am soon to die
I must tell you of her coming
so scour your heart of evil thought
do not yearn for more tomorrows
redeem the time you’ve been gifted
do not multiply your sorrows
Scheme | XXXA XBXB XCXC XADA DEDE DFBX XGDG XHFH XIXI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (78%) |
Metre | 11101 1101 1011011 1111010 01011101 1001101 0111010 00111101 01111010 0110101 0110110 1010101 0011101 010110 0101110 1111110 1101011 1111101 001101 111111 11111111 1111111 01110111 11010001 11110111 0111111 11110111 11111111 11101101 11010101 01111111 11111010 110111101 1111101 01011110 1110110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,104 |
Words | 246 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 94 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Written on March 20, 2022
Submitted by BradyB999 on March 20, 2022
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 1:13 min read
- 11 Views
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"The Secret Seraph" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/122844/the-secret-seraph>.
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