Analysis of 406 [unfinished]

John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)



I do not know the meaning of the sign,
But bend before its power, as a reed bends
When the black tornado fills the valley to the lips.
Three times in twenty years its shape has come
On lines of fire on the black veil of mystery;
At first, tho' strange, it seemed familiar,
And lingered on the mind as if at rest;
The second time if flashed a thrill came, too,
For supernature spoke, or tried to speak;
The third time, like a blow upon the eyes,
It stood before me, as a page might say:
'Read, read,—and do not call for other warning'.


Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKL
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101 11011101011 101011010101 1101011111 1111010111100 111111010 0101011111 0101110111 1111111 0111010101 1101110111 11011111010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 533
Words 108
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 407
Words per stanza (avg) 105
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
93

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

All John Boyle O'Reilly poems | John Boyle O'Reilly Books

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