Analysis of Sleep
Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837 (London) – 1909 (London)
Sleep, when a soul that her own clouds cover
Wails that sorrow should always keep
Watch, nor see in the gloom above her
Sleep,
Down, through darkness naked and steep,
Sinks, and the gifts of his grace recover
Soon the soul, though her wound be deep.
God beloved of us, all men's lover,
All most weary that smile or weep
Feel thee afar or anear them hover,
Sleep.
| Scheme | abaB bab abaB |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Roundel |
| Metre | 1101101110 1110111 111001010 1 11101001 1001111010 10110111 101111110 11101111 110111110 1 |
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 364 |
| Words | 70 |
| Sentences | 3 |
| Stanzas | 3 |
| Stanza Lengths | 4, 3, 4 |
| Lines Amount | 11 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
| Words per line (avg) | 6 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 94 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 21 sec read
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"Sleep" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1397/sleep>.
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