Analysis of Invocation

Alice Duer Miller 1874 (New York) – 1942 (New York)



NIGHT after night within the grove
The night wind spares the sacred fire -­
The breath made visible of love,
Of worship and desire.

I set the tripod at thy shrine;
The silver bowl, the amber flame,
And in the dark where no stars shine
I speak thy name.

By the high name I call on thee
Which only I, thy priestess, know.
I tread thy dance in ecstasy,
Sweet steps and slow.

O God, the hour has come. Appear!
I have performed the appointed rite -­
The dance, the fire; I long to hear
Wings in the night.


Scheme XAXA BCBC DEDE XFXF
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11010101 011101010 01110011 1100010 1101111 01010101 00011111 1111 10111111 11011101 11110100 1101 110101101 110100101 010101111 1001
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 495
Words 101
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 95
Words per stanza (avg) 25
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 25, 2023

30 sec read
26

Alice Duer Miller

Alice Duer Miller was a writer from the U.S. whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses made an impact on the suffrage issue, and her verse novel The White Cliffs encouraged U.S. entry into World War II. She also wrote novels and screenplays. more…

All Alice Duer Miller poems | Alice Duer Miller Books

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