Analysis of In Memoriam
A gentle loving thoughtful boy,
But happy gay and bright:
A gleam of sunshine from the sky
That filled a home with light.
And whether busied with his play
Throughout the passing summer day,
Or sleepless in the night
A simple song by children sung,
For ever in his memory rung,
Found gleeful utterance from his tongue
And filled him with delight —
'Jesus loves me — He will stay
Close beside me all the way.'
But now across the morning sky
The shade of night has rolled —
Lay all his little playthings by,
His hands are still and cold.
His loving eyes once bright as day
Are turning to their former clay —
No more:— the tale is told:
The soul has left that pulseless breast
For regions of eternal rest.
Ay but to die — a child, alone
Without a guard or guide
To launch into the vast unknown
Where shapeless phantoms glide,
To cross the gulf no bridge can span
To realms unseen by living man
All strange and yet untried.
With no familiar loved one near
To charm away his childish fear,
And give him one soft word of cheer
To break the dreary void.
Alas! conjecture seems to swim
And reason waxes faint and dim,
But faith affirms 'tis well with him
Whatever may betide.
Jesus loves him — He will stay
Close beside him all the way.
Scheme | XABACCADDDACC BEBECCEFFGHGHIIHJJJXKKKHCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010101 110101 0111101 110111 01010111 01010101 110001 01011101 110011001 110100111 011101 1011111 1011101 11010101 011111 1111011 111101 11011111 11011101 110111 0111111 11010101 11110101 010111 11010101 110101 11011111 11011101 110101 11010111 11011101 01111111 110101 01010111 01010101 11011111 10101 1011111 1011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,265 |
Words | 241 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 13, 26 |
Lines Amount | 39 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 482 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 117 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 106 Views
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"In Memoriam" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24526/in-memoriam>.
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