Analysis of Her Refrain
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
Do you love me?' she said, when the skies were blue,
And we walked where the stream through the branches glistened;
And I told and retold her my love was true,
While she listened and smiled, and smiled and listened.
Do you love me?' she whispered, when days were drear,
And her eyes searched mine with a patient yearning;
And I kissed her, renewing the words so dear,
While she listened and smiled, as if slowly learning.
“Do you love me?” she asked, when we sat at rest
By the stream enshadowed with autumn glory;
Her cheek had been laid as in peace on my breast,
But she raised it to ask for the sweet old story.
And I said: 'I will tell her the tale again—
I will swear by the earth and the stars above me!'
And I told her that uttermost time should prove
The fervor and faith of my perfect love;
And I vowed it and pledged it that nought should move;
While she listened and smiled in my face, and then
She whispered once more, ' Do you truly love me? '
Scheme | ABAB CDCD ECEC FGHXHFG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111110101 011101101010 0110101111 11100101010 11111101101 00111101010 01100100111 111001111010 11111111111 101111010 01111101111 111111101110 01111100101 111101001011 011011111 0100111011 01110111111 11100101101 11011111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 960 |
Words | 193 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 7 |
Lines Amount | 19 |
Letters per line (avg) | 39 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 184 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 47 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 16, 2023
- 56 sec read
- 118 Views
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"Her Refrain" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22008/her-refrain>.
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