Analysis of After Death
Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837 (London) – 1909 (London)
THE FOUR boards of the coffin lid
Heard all the dead man did.
The first curse was in his mouth,
Made of grave’s mould and deadly drouth.
The next curse was in his head,
Made of God’s work discomfited.
The next curse was in his hands,
Made out of two grave-bands.
The next curse was in his feet,
Made out of a grave-sheet.
“I had fair coins red and white,
And my name was as great light;
I had fair clothes green and red,
And strong gold bound round my head.
But no meat comes in my mouth,
Now I fare as the worm doth;
And no gold binds in my hair,
Now I fare as the blind fare.
My live thews were of great strength,
Now am I waxen a span’s length;
My live sides were full of lust,
Now are they dried with dust.”
The first board spake and said:
“Is it best eating flesh or bread?”
The second answered it:
“Is wine or honey the more sweet?”
The third board spake and said:
“Is red gold worth a girl’s gold head?”
The fourth made answer thus:
“All these things are as one with us.”
The dead man asked of them:
“Is the green land stained brown with flame?
Have they hewn my son for beasts to eat,
And my wife’s body for beasts’ meat?
Have they boiled my maid in a brass pan,
And built a gallows to hang my man?”
The boards said to him:
“This is a lewd thing that ye deem.
Your wife has gotten a golden bed,
All the sheets are sewn with red.
Your son has gotten a coat of silk,
The sleeves are soft as curded milk.
Your maid has gotten a kirtle new,
All the skirt has braids of blue.
Your man has gotten both ring and glove,
Wrought well for eyes to love.”
The dead man answered thus:
“What good gift shall God give us?”
The boards answered him anon:
“Flesh to feed hell’s worm upon.”
Scheme | AA BB CA DD EE FF CC BX GG HH II CC XE CC JJ XX EE KK XX CC LL MM NN JJ KX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (28%) |
Metre | 01110101 110111 0111011 11110101 0111011 11111 0111011 111111 0111011 111011 1111101 0111111 1111101 0111111 1111011 1111011 0111011 1111011 1110111 1111011 1110111 111111 011101 11110111 010101 11110011 011101 11110111 011101 11111111 011111 10111111 111111111 01110111 111110011 010101111 01111 11011111 111100101 1011111 111100111 0111111 11110011 1011111 111101101 111111 011101 1111111 011011 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,688 |
Words | 348 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 25 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
Lines Amount | 50 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 51 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 13 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 06, 2023
- 1:44 min read
- 55 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"After Death" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1260/after-death>.
Discuss this Algernon Charles Swinburne 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