Analysis of Sinfonia Eroica
Amy Levy 1861 (London) – 1889 (London)
My Love, my Love, it was a day in June,
A mellow, drowsy, golden afternoon;
And all the eager people thronging came
To that great hall, drawn by the magic name
Of one, a high magician, who can raise
The spirits of the past and future days,
And draw the dreams from out the secret breast,
Giving them life and shape.
I, with the rest,
Sat there athirst, atremble for the sound;
And as my aimless glances wandered round,
Far off, across the hush'd, expectant throng,
I saw your face that fac'd mine.
Clear and strong
Rush'd forth the sound, a mighty mountain stream;
Across the clust'ring heads mine eyes did seem
By subtle forces drawn, your eyes to meet.
Then you, the melody, the summer heat,
Mingled in all my blood and made it wine.
Straight I forgot the world's great woe and mine;
My spirit's murky lead grew molten fire;
Despair itself was rapture.
Ever higher,
Stronger and clearer rose the mighty strain;
Then sudden fell; then all was still again,
And I sank back, quivering as one in pain.
Brief was the pause; then, 'mid a hush profound,
Slow on the waiting air swell'd forth a sound
So wondrous sweet that each man held his breath;
A measur'd, mystic melody of death.
Then back you lean'd your head, and I could note
The upward outline of your perfect throat;
And ever, as the music smote the air,
Mine eyes from far held fast your body fair.
And in that wondrous moment seem'd to fade
My life's great woe, and grow an empty shade
Which had not been, nor was not.
And I knew
Not which was sound, and which, O Love, was you.
Scheme | AABBCCDXDEEFGFHHI IGGJJJKXKEELLMMNNOOXPP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110101 010101001 010101011 1111110101 1101010111 0101010101 0101110101 101101 1101 1111101 0111010101 1101010101 1111111 101 1101010101 010111111 1101011111 1101000101 1001110111 1101011101 11010111010 0101110 1010 1001010101 1101111101 01111001101 1101110101 1101011101 1101111111 0101010011 1111110111 010111011 0101010101 1111111101 0011010111 1111011101 1111111 011 1111011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,517 |
Words | 291 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 17, 22 |
Lines Amount | 39 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 591 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 143 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:30 min read
- 65 Views
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"Sinfonia Eroica" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2146/sinfonia-eroica>.
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