Analysis of The Mystic Veil
Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)
When the shadows take their nightly places,
When departing light is faint and pale,
Then in my chamber gather phantom faces,
Gazing thro' the mystic veil.
One there is with features so familiar,
Glimpse of her give[s] my pulse a start;
Oh! tell me truely is it you, love,
Come to cheer my lonly heart?
Come one step nearer! (One step nearer!)
one shade clearer? (one shade clearer!)
Breath on word before we part; (before we part;)
And tell me--truly it is you, love,
Come to cheer my lonely heart?
When my song, in lonely notes ascending,
Vainly bids my sadden'd soul rejoin [rejoice?],
Methinks I hear a murmur'd alto blending:
Is it really your sweet voice?
Answer now, if only by a whisper;
Rend the veil, the mystic veil, apart:
And tell me truely is it you, love,
Come to cheer my lonely heart?
Waking while the denser darkness lingers,
Some one seems to stand beside my bed;
I can but think I feel your fairy fingers,
Softly laid upon my head.
Silently why does the vision vanish?
Dream I yet, or is it magic art?
Now tell me truely is it you, love,
Come to cheer my lonely heart?
Scheme | ababcded ccdeD fafxcdeD ghghxdeD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101111010 101011101 10110101010 1010101 1111101010 11011101 11111111 111111 111101110 11101110 11101110111 011101111 1111101 1110101010 1011101011 1110101010 1110111 1011101010 101010101 01111111 1111101 1010101010 111110111 11111111010 1010111 1001101010 111111101 11111111 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,067 |
Words | 207 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 5, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 29 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 208 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:02 min read
- 118 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Mystic Veil" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17297/the-mystic-veil>.
Discuss this Henry Clay Work poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In