Analysis of Choriambics
Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837 (London) – 1909 (London)
Love, what ailed thee to leave life that was made lovely, we thought, with love?
What sweet visions of sleep lured thee away, down from the light above?
What strange faces of dreams, voices that called, hands that were raised to wave,
Lured or led thee, alas, out of the sun, down to the sunless grave?
Ah, thy luminous eyes! once was their light fed with the fire of day;
Now their shadowy lids cover them close, hush them and hide away.
Ah, thy snow-coloured hands! once were they chains, mighty to bind me fast;
Now no blood in them burns, mindless of love, senseless of passion past.
Ah, thy beautiful hair! so was it once braided for me, for me;
Now for death is it crowned, only for death, lover and lord of thee.
Sweet, the kisses of death set on thy lips, colder are they than mine;
Colder surely than past kisses that love poured for thy lips as wine.
Lov'st thou death? is his face fairer than love's, brighter to look upon?
Seest thou light in his eyes, light by which love's pales and is overshone?
Lo the roses of death, grey as the dust, chiller of leaf than snow!
Why let fall from thy hand love's that were thine, roses that loved thee so?
Large red lilies of love, sceptral and tall, lovely for eyes to see;
Thornless blossom of love, full of the sun, fruits that were reared for thee.
Now death's poppies alone circle thy hair, girdle thy breasts as white;
Bloodless blossoms of death, leaves that have sprung never against the light.
Nay then, sleep if thou wilt; love is content; what should he do to weep?
Sweet was love to thee once; now in thine eyes sweeter than love is sleep.
Scheme | AA BB CC DD EE FF XF GG EE HH II |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111111101111 1110111101110101 1110111011110111 111101110111011 11100111111101011 1110011011110101 1111011011101111 1110111011101101 1110011111101111 1111111011100111 1010111111101111 1010111011111111 1111111011101101 11101111111011 1010111101101111 1111111101101111 111011101101111 110111101110111 1110011011101111 1010111111100101 1111111110111111 1111111011101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic octameter |
Characters | 1,609 |
Words | 301 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 56 |
Words per line (avg) | 14 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 112 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:31 min read
- 77 Views
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"Choriambics" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1291/choriambics>.
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