Analysis of The Road to Avignon
Amy Lowell 1874 (Brookline) – 1925 (Brookline)
A Minstrel stands on a marble stair,
Blown by the bright wind, debonair;
Below lies the sea, a sapphire floor,
Above on the terrace a turret door
Frames a lady, listless and wan,
But fair for the eye to rest upon.
The minstrel plucks at his silver strings,
And looking up to the lady, sings: --
Down the road to Avignon,
The long, long road to Avignon,
Across the bridge to Avignon,
One morning in the spring.
The octagon tower casts a shade
Cool and gray like a cutlass blade;
In sun-baked vines the cicalas spin,
The little green lizards run out and in.
A sail dips over the ocean's rim,
And bubbles rise to the fountain's brim.
The minstrel touches his silver strings,
And gazing up to the lady, sings: --
Down the road to Avignon,
The long, long road to Avignon,
Across the bridge to Avignon,
One morning in the spring.
Slowly she walks to the balustrade,
Idly notes how the blossoms fade
In the sun's caress; then crosses where
The shadow shelters a carven chair.
Within its curve, supine she lies,
And wearily closes her tired eyes.
The minstrel beseeches his silver strings,
And holding the lady spellbound, sings: --
Down the road to Avignon,
The long, long road to Avignon,
Across the bridge to Avignon,
One morning in the spring.
Clouds sail over the distant trees,
Petals are shaken down by the breeze,
They fall on the terrace tiles like snow;
The sighing of waves sounds, far below.
A humming-bird kisses the lips of a rose
Then laden with honey and love he goes.
The minstrel woos with his silver strings,
And climbing up to the lady, sings: --
Down the road to Avignon,
The long, long road to Avignon,
Across the bridge to Avignon,
One morning in the spring.
Step by step, and he comes to her,
Fearful lest she suddenly stir.
Sunshine and silence, and each to each,
The lute and his singing their only speech;
He leans above her, her eyes unclose,
The humming-bird enters another rose.
The minstrel hushes his silver strings.
Hark! The beating of humming-birds' wings!
Down the road to Avignon,
The long, long road to Avignon,
Across the bridge to Avignon,
One morning in the spring.
Scheme | aabbccddEEEF gghhiiddEEEF ggaajjddEEEF kkllmmddEEEF nnoodmddEEEF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (32%) |
Metre | 010110101 1101101 0110101001 0110100101 10101001 111011101 010111101 010110101 101110 0111110 0101110 110001 01010101 10110101 0111011 0101101100 011100101 01011011 010101101 010110101 101110 0111110 0101110 110001 1011101 10110101 001011101 0110011 01110111 0100100101 01011101 01001011 101110 0111110 0101110 110001 11100101 101101101 111010111 010111101 01011001101 1101100111 010111101 010110101 101110 0111110 0101110 110001 11101110 10111001 10100111 0101101101 11010011 0101100101 01011101 101011011 101110 0111110 0101110 110001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,106 |
Words | 379 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 60 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 326 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 75 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 09, 2023
- 1:54 min read
- 61 Views
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"The Road to Avignon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2339/the-road-to-avignon>.
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