Analysis of The River Kern
Harriet Monroe 1860 (Chicago) – 1936 (Arequipa)
While I walk the pavement sooty
In the town,
Tread the stony path of duty
Up and down,
Oh, the Kern, all clad in beauty—
Silver sheen
On blue and green—
Down his canon goes cascading,
Cavalcading,
Cannonading,
Seizing all the brooks and fountains
How they beat
Their crystal feet!—
Shouting to the haughty mountains,
Giant peaks that frown !
Oh, my heart runs with the river
Far away,
Though through wintry streets I shiver
Day by day!
Oh, I see the sunshine quiver—
Shafts of light
That pause in flight!—
While the Kern, with white feet prancing,
Downward dancing,
Gaily glancing,
Shakes the massive earth from under—
How he shocks
The solemn rocks!—
Shoves the mighty cliffs asunder,
Bids them guard his play!
Now I hear the horns a-blowing
From the height,
And I see white garments flowing
Sheer and bright!
Down the hills the Kern is going—
Hear him call
His legions all!
Ye intrepid, oh come leaping!
Leave your sleeping
Swords from scabbards—hark, the clamor!
Swift and free
Oh would you be?—
In the glory, in the glamour,
Follow day and night !
Scheme | ABABACCDDDEFFEB GHGHGIIDDDGJJGH DIDIDKKDDGAAGI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101010 001 10101110 101 10111010 101 1101 11101010 1 1 10101010 111 1101 10101010 10111 11111010 101 11101110 111 1110110 111 1101 10111110 1010 1010 10101110 111 0101 10101010 11111 11101010 101 01111010 101 10101110 111 1101 10101110 1110 1111010 101 1111 00100010 10101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,059 |
Words | 190 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 15, 15, 14 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 19 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 274 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 62 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 77 Views
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"The River Kern" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/16932/the-river-kern>.
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