Analysis of Less Time

Andre Breton 1896 (Tinchebray) – 1966 (Paris)



Less time than it takes to say it, less tears than it takes to die; I've taken account of everything,
there you have it. I've made a census of the stones, they are as numerous as my fingers and some
others; I've distributed some pamphlets to the plants, but not all were willing to accept them. I've
kept company with music for a second only and now I no longer know what to think of suicide, for
if I ever want to part from myself, the exit is on this side and, I add mischievously, the entrance, the
re-entrance is on the other. You see what you still have to do. Hours, grief, I don't keep a
reasonable account of them; I'm alone, I look out of the window; there is no passerby, or rather no
one passes (underline passes). You don't know this man? It's Mr. Same. May I introduce Madam
Madam? And their children. Then I turn back on my steps, my steps turn back too, but I don't
know exactly what they turn back on. I consult a schedule; the names of the towns have been
replaced by the names of people who have been quite close to me. Shall I go to A, return to B,
change at X? Yes, of course I'll change at X. Provided I don't miss the connection with boredom!
There we are: boredom, beautiful parallels, ah! how beautiful the parallels are under God's
perpendicular.


Scheme ABCDEEFBGHIBJK
Poetic Form
Metre 11111111111111111001110 111111010101111100111001 101010011010111101010111 110011010101001111011111101 111011111010111101110100 11011010111111111011110 1000011110111110101111001101 1101010111111101110110 100110111111111111111 1010111111010100110111 11011101111111111100111 11111111110101110010110 1111010010111000101101 0100
Characters 1,266
Words 245
Sentences 18
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 69
Words per line (avg) 17
Letters per stanza (avg) 971
Words per stanza (avg) 243
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

1:17 min read
180

Andre Breton

André Breton was a French writer and poet. more…

All Andre Breton poems | Andre Breton Books

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