Analysis of Wert Thou but ill—that I might show thee
Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)
Wert Thou but ill—that I might show thee
How long a Day I could endure
Though thine attention stop not on me
Nor the least signal, Me assure—
Wert Thou but Stranger in ungracious country—
And Mine—the Door
Thou paused at, for a passing bounty—
No More—
Accused—wert Thou—and Myself—Tribunal—
Convicted—Sentenced—Ermine—not to Me
Half the Condition, thy Reverse—to follow—
Just to partake—the infamy—
The Tenant of the Narrow Cottage, wert Thou—
Permit to be
The Housewife in thy low attendance
Contenteth Me—
No Service hast Thou, I would not achieve it—
To die—or live—
The first—Sweet, proved I, ere I saw thee—
For Life—be Love—
Scheme | ABAB ACAC XAXA XAXA XXAX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (80%) Etheree (40%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 111111111 11011101 110101111 10110101 111100110 0101 111101010 11 011101010 0101010111 10010101110 11010100 01010101011 0111 01011010 11 11011111011 1111 011111111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 672 |
Words | 107 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 21 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 139 Views
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"Wert Thou but ill—that I might show thee" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12421/wert-thou-but-ill%E2%80%94that-i-might-show-thee>.
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