Analysis of When The Fox Dies, His Skin Counts
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
WE young people in the shade
Sat one sultry day;
Cupid came, and "Dies the Fox"
With us sought to play.
Each one of my friends then sat
By his mistress dear;
Cupid, blowing out the torch,
Said: "The taper's here!"
Then we quickly sent around
The expiring brand;
Each one put it hastily
ln his neighbour's hand.
Dorilis then gave it me,
With a scoffing jest;
Sudden into flame it broke,
By my fingers press'd.
And it singed my eyes and face,
Set my breast on fire;
Then above my head the blaze
Mounted ever higher.
Vain I sought to put it out;
Ever burned the flame;
Stead of dying, soon the Fox
Livelier still became.
Scheme | X AB A X XX X X CD C D EX E X FX F X GB G |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110001 11101 1010101 11111 1111111 11101 1010101 1011 1110101 00101 1111100 1111 11111 1011 1001111 11101 0111101 111110 1011101 101010 1111111 10101 1110101 100101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 602 |
Words | 120 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 26 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 7 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 67 Views
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"When The Fox Dies, His Skin Counts" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21927/when-the-fox-dies%2C-his-skin-counts>.
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