Analysis of For E. McC
Ezra Pound 1885 (Hailey) – 1972 (Venice)
Gone while your tastes were keen to you,
Gone where the grey winds call to you,
By that high fencer, even Death,
Struck of the blade that no man parrieth;
Such is your fence, one saith,
One that hath known you.
Drew you your sword most gallantly
Made you your pass most valiantly
'Gainst that grey fencer, even Death.
Gone as a gust of breath
Faith! no man tarrieth,
‘Se il cor ti manca,’ but it failed thee not!
'Non ti fidar,’ it is the sword that speaks
‘In me.’
Thou trusted'st in thyself and met the blade
'Thout mask or gauntlet, and art laid
As memorable broken blades that be
Kept as bold trophies of old pageantry.
As old Toledos past their days of war
Are kept mnemonic of the strokes they bore,
So art thou with us, being good to keep
In our heart's sword-rack, though thy sword-arm sleep.
ENVOI
Struck of the blade that no man parrieth
Pierced of the point that toucheth lastly all,
'Gainst that grey fencer, even Death,
Behold the shield! He shall not take thee all.
Scheme | aabBbaccB bbxxc ddcceeff xBgBg |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 11011111 1111101 11011111 111111 11111 11111100 11111100 1111101 110111 1111 1111111111 111110111 01 1101010101 11110011 1100010111 1111011100 11111111 1101010111 1111110111 01011111111 1 11011111 110111101 1111101 0101111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 971 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 5, 8, 5 |
Lines Amount | 27 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 189 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 76 Views
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