Analysis of Epilogue
Francis Thompson 1859 (City of Preston, Lancashire) – 1907 (London)
If I have studied here in part
A tale as old as maiden's heart,
'Tis that I do see herein
Shadow of more piteous sin.
She, that but giving part, not whole,
Took even the part back, is the Soul:
And that so disdain-ed Lover--
Best unthought, since Love is over.
Love to invite, desire, and fear,
And Love's exactions cost too dear
Count for Love's possession,--ah,
Thy way, misera Anima!
To give the pledge, and yet be pined
That a pledge should have force to bind,
This, O Soul, too often still
Is the recreance of thy will!
Out of Love's arms to make fond chain,
And, because struggle bringeth pain,
Hate Love for Love's sweet constraint,
Is the way of Souls that faint.
Such a Soul, for saddest end,
Finds Love the foe in Love the friend;
And--ah, grief incredible!--
Treads the way of Heaven, to Hell.
Scheme | AABB CCDD EEXX FFGG HHII JJXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (67%) |
Metre | 11110101 0111111 1111101 11111 11110111 110011101 01101110 1111110 110101001 01010111 1110101 1111 11010111 10111111 1111101 101111 11111111 0011011 1111101 1011111 1011101 11010101 0110100 10111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 789 |
Words | 153 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 101 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 44 Views
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"Epilogue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13904/epilogue>.
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