Analysis of Bells For John Whiteside's Daughter

John Crowe Ransom 1888 (Pulaski) – 1974 (Gambier)



There was such speed in her little body,
And such lightness in her footfall,
It is no wonder her brown study Astonishes us all

Her wars were bruited in our high window.
We looked among orchard trees and beyond
Where she took arms against her shadow,
Or harried unto the pond

The lazy geese, like a snow cloud
Dripping their snow on the green grass,
Tricking and stopping, sleepy and proud,
Who cried in goose, Alas,

For the tireless heart within the little
Lady with rod that made them rise
From their noon apple-dreams and scuttle
Goose-fashion under the skies!

But now go the bells, and we are ready,
In one house we are sternly stopped
To say we are vexed at her brown study,
Lying so primly propped.


Scheme ABB CDCD EFEF GHGH AIAI
Poetic Form
Metre 1111001010 0110001 111100110111 0101010110 1101101001 11110101 1101001 01011011 10111011 100101001 110101 10100101010 10111111 111101010 1101001 1110101110 01111101 1111110110 101101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 711
Words 131
Sentences 4
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 112
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 03, 2023

39 sec read
134

John Crowe Ransom

John Crowe Ransom was an educator, scholar, literary critic, poet, essayist and editor. more…

All John Crowe Ransom poems | John Crowe Ransom Books

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