Analysis of Retirement
James Beattie 1735 (Laurencekirk) – 1803 (Aberdeen)
When in the crimson cloud of Even,
The lingering light decays,
And Hesper on the front of Heaven
His glittering gem displays!
Deep in the silent vale, unseen,
Beside a lulling stream,
A pensive Youth of placid mien,
Indulged this tender theme.
Ye cliffs, in hoary grandeur piled
High o'er the glimmering dale;
Ye woods, along whose windings wild
Murmurs the solemn gale;
Where Melancholy strays forlorn,
And Wo retires to weep,
What time the wan moon's yellow horn
Gleams on the western deep:
To you, ye wastes, whose artless charms
Ne'er drew Ambition's eye,
'Scaped a tumultuous world's alarms,
To your retreats I fly.
Deep in your most sequester'd bower
Let me at last recline,
Where Solitude, mild, modest Power,
Leans on her ivy'd shrine.
How shall I woo thee, matchless Fair!
Thy heavenly smile how win!
Thy smile, that smoothes the brow of Care,
And stills the storm within.
O wilt thou to thy favourite grove
Thine ardent votary bring,
And bless his hours, and bid them move
Serene, on silent wing.
Oft let remembrance soothe his mind
With dreams of former days,
When in the lap of Peace reclined
He framed his infant lays;
When Fancy roved at large, nor Care
Nor cold Distrust alarm'd,
Nor Envy with malignant glare
His simple youth had harm'd.
'Twas then, O Solitude, to thee
His early vows were paid,
From heart sincere, and warm, and free,
Devoted to the shade.
Ah why did Fate his steps decoy
In stormy paths to roam,
Remote from all congenial joy! -
O take the wanderer home.
Thy shades, thy silence, now be mine,
Thy charms my only theme;
My haunt the hollow cliff, whose pine
Waves o'er the gloomy stream,
Whence the sacred owl on pinions gray
Breaks from the lone vale sails away
To more profound repose.
O while to thee the woodland pours
Its wildly-warbling song,
And balmy from the banks of flowers
The zephyr breathes along;
Let no rude sounds invade from far,
No vagrant foot be nigh,
No ray from Grandeur's gilded car,
Flash on the startled eye.
But if some pilgrim through the glade
Thy hallow'd bowers explore,
O guard from harm his hoary head,
And listen to his lore:
For he of joys divine shall tell
That wean from earthly wo,
And triumph o'er the mighty spell
That chains this heart below.
For me no more the path invites
Ambition loves to tread;
No more I climb those toilsome heights
By guileful Hope misled;
Leaps my fond fluttering heart no more
To mirth's enlivening strain;
For present pleasure soon is o'er,
And all the past is vain.
Scheme | ABXBCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJKLKL MAMAXNXN OBOBMPMP QRQRSTST LDLDUUX XVXVWJWJ RXYXZ1 Z1 2 Y2 YX3 K3 |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 100101110 0100101 010101110 1100101 10010101 010101 01011101 011101 11010011 11001001 1101111 100101 1100101 010111 11011101 110101 1111111 1111 10100101 110111 101101010 111101 11011010 11011 1111111 1100111 11110111 010101 1111111 11011 011100111 011101 11010111 111101 10011101 111101 11011111 110101 11010101 110111 1111011 110101 11010101 010101 11111101 010111 01110101 1101001 11110111 111101 11010111 1100101 10101111 11011101 110101 1111011 1101001 010101110 010101 11110111 110111 1111101 110101 11110101 1101001 11111101 010111 11110111 111101 010100101 111101 11110101 010111 1111111 11101 111100111 1101001 110101110 010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,399 |
Words | 442 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 79 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 194 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 44 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:17 min read
- 121 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Retirement" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19971/retirement>.
Discuss this James Beattie 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