Analysis of Chagrin

Isaac Rosenberg 1890 (Bristol) – 1918 (Somme)



Caught still as Absalom,
Surely the air hangs
From the swayless cloud-boughs
Like hair of Absalom

Caught and hanging still.
From the imagined weight
Of spaces in a sky
Of mute chagrin my thoughts
Hang like branch-clung hair
To trunks of silence swung,
With the choked soul weighing down
Into thick emptiness.
Christ, end this hanging death,
For endlessness hangs therefrom !

Invisibly branches break
From invisible trees:
The cloud-woods where we rush
(Our eyes holding so much),
Which we must ride dim ages round
Ere the hands (we dream) can touch,
We ride, we ride-before the morning
The secret roots of the sun to tread-
And suddenly
We are lifted of all we know,
And hang from implacable boughs.


Scheme AXBA XXXXXXXXXA XXXCXCXXXXB
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 111100 10011 10111 111100 10101 100101 110001 110111 11111 111101 1011101 011100 111101 1111 1101 101001 011111 1011011 11111101 1011111 111101010 010110111 0100 11101111 01101001
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 685
Words 121
Sentences 5
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 10, 11
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 186
Words per stanza (avg) 40
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
94

Isaac Rosenberg

Isaac Rosenberg was an English poet of the First World War. more…

All Isaac Rosenberg poems | Isaac Rosenberg Books

0 fans

Discuss this Isaac Rosenberg poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Chagrin" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19365/chagrin>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    21
    hours
    9
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    AA Milne wrote: "A bear, however hard he tries..."
    A "grows tubby with no exercise"
    B "can never stop telling lies"
    C "has very very tired eyes"
    D "stinks and attracts the flies"