Analysis of Sestina: Altaforte
Ezra Pound 1885 (Hailey) – 1972 (Venice)
Loquitur: En Bertrans de Born.
Dante Alighieri put this man in hell for that he was a
stirrer-up of strife.
Eccovi!
Judge ye!
Have I dug him up again?
The scene in at his castle, Altaforte. "Papiols" is his jongleur.
"The Leopard," the device of Richard (Cúur de Lion).
Damn it all! all this our South stinks peace.
You whoreson dog, Papiols, come! Let's to music!
I have no life save when the swords clash.
But ah! when I see the standards gold, vair, purple, opposing
And the broad fields beneath them turn crimson,
Then howl I my heart nigh mad with rejoicing.
In hot summer have I great rejoicing
When the tempests kill the earth's foul peace,
And the lightnings from black heav'n flash crimson,
And the fierce thunders roar me their music
And the winds shriek through the clouds mad, opposing,
And through all the riven skies God's swords clash.
Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
And the shrill neighs of destriers in battle rejoicing,
Spiked breast to spiked breast opposing!
Better one hour's stour than a year's peace
With fat boards, bawds, wine and frail music!
Bah! there's no wine like the blood's crimson!
And I love to see the sun rise blood-crimson.
And I watch his spears through the dark clash
And it fills all my heart with rejoicing
And pries wide my mouth with fast music
When I see him so scorn and defy peace,
His lone might 'gainst all darkness opposing.
The man who fears war and squats opposing
My words for stour, hath no blood of crimson
But is fit only to rot in womanish peace
Far from where worth's won and the swords clash
For the death of such sluts I go rejoicing;
Yea, I fill all the air with my music.
Papiols, Papiols, to the music!
There's no sound like to swords swords opposing,
No cry like the battle's rejoicing
When our elbows and swords drip the crimson
And our charges 'gainst "The Leopard's" rush clash.
May God damn for ever all who cry "Peace!"
And let the music of the swords make them crimson!
Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
Hell blot black for always the thought "Peace!"
Scheme | xxaaxxxb cdefbf fcbdfe Effcdb befdcf fbcefd dffbec bEc |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111 1011110111110 1111 1 11 1111101 010111011111 01000111011110 1111110111 111111110 111111011 111110101110010 0011011110 11111111010 0110111010 10110111 0010111110 0011011110 00111011010 0110101111 1111101011 001111010010 11111010 1011011011 111110110 111110110 01111011110 011111011 0111111010 011111110 1111110011 1111110010 0111101010 1111111110 1111011011 111110011 10111111010 1111011110 111010 1111111010 111010010 1101011010 0101010111 1111101111 010101011110 1111101011 11111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,030 |
Words | 386 |
Sentences | 31 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 3 |
Lines Amount | 47 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 200 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 47 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 17, 2023
- 1:58 min read
- 194 Views
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"Sestina: Altaforte" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13341/sestina%3A-altaforte>.
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