Analysis of Love's Sacrifice

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



LOVE'S Herald flew o'er all the fields of Greece,
Crying: '
Love's altar waits for sacrifice!'
And all folk answered, like a wave of peace,
With treasured offerings and gifts of price.

Toward high Olympus every white road filled
With pilgrims streaming to the blest abode;
Each bore rich tribute, some for joys fulfilled,
And some for blisses lingering on the road.

The pious peasant drives his laden car;
The fisher youth bears treasure from the sea;
A wife brings honey for the sweets that are;
A maid brings roses for the sweets to be.

Here strides the soldier with his wreathed sword,
No more to glitter in his country's wars;
There walks the poet with his mystic word,
And smiles at Eros' mild recruit from Mars.

But midst these bearers of propitious gifts,
Behold where two, a youth and maiden, stand:
She bears no boon; his arm no burden lifts,
Save her dear fingers pressed within his hand.

Their touch ignites the soft delicious fire,
Whose rays the very altar-flames eclipse;
Their eyes are on each other—sweet desire
And yearning passion tremble on their lips.

So fair—so strong! Ah, Love! what errant wiles
Have brought these two so poor and so unblest?
But see! Instead of anger, Cupid smiles;
And lo! he crowns their sacrifice as best!

Their hands are empty, but their hearts are
Their gifts so rare for all the host suffice:
Before the altar is their life-wine spilled—
The love they long for is their sacrifice.


Scheme AXBAB CDCD EFEF XXXX GHGH IJIJ KCKX EBCB
Poetic Form
Metre 11011010111 10 1101110 0111010111 1101000111 011010100111 1101010101 1111011101 0111100101 0101011101 0101110101 0111010111 0111010111 110101111 1111001101 1101011101 0111010111 1111010101 0111010101 1111111101 1011010111 11010101010 1101010101 11111101010 0101010111 1111111101 111111011 1101110101 011111011 111101111 1111110101 0101011111 011111110
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,436
Words 253
Sentences 15
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 141
Words per stanza (avg) 31
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:16 min read
37

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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