Analysis of Song of the Soul XXII

Khalil Gibran 1883 (Bsharri) – 1931 (New York City)



In the depth of my soul there is
A wordless song - a song that lives
In the seed of my heart.
It refuses to melt with ink on
Parchment; it engulfs my affection
In a transparent cloak and flows,
But not upon my lips.

How can I sigh it? I fear it may
Mingle with earthly ether;
To whom shall I sing it? It dwells
In the house of my soul, in fear of
Harsh ears.

When I look into my inner eyes
I see the shadow of its shadow;
When I touch my fingertips
I feel its vibrations.

The deeds of my hands heed its
Presence as a lake must reflect
The glittering stars; my tears
Reveal it, as bright drops of dew
Reveal the secret of a withering rose.

It is a song composed by contemplation,
And published by silence,
And shunned by clamor,
And folded by truth,
And repeated by dreams,
And understood by love,
And hidden by awakening,
And sung by the soul.

It is the song of love;
What Cain or Esau could sing it?

It is more fragrant than jasmine;
What voice could enslave it?

It is heartbound, as a virgin's secret;
What string could quiver it?

Who dares unite the roar of the sea
And the singing of the nightingale?
Who dares compare the shrieking tempest
To the sigh of an infant?
Who dares speak aloud the words
Intended for the heart to speak?
What human dares sing in voice
The song of God?


Scheme XXXXABC XDXEX XXCX XXXXB AXDXXEXX EF AF XF XXXXXXXX
Poetic Form
Metre 00111111 01010111 001111 101011111 10111010 00010101 110111 111111111 1011010 11111111 001111011 11 111011101 1101111 111110 111010 0111111 10101101 0100111 01111111 01010101001 1101011010 010110 01110 01011 001011 00111 01010100 01101 110111 1111111 11110110 111011 111101010 111101 11101101 001010100 110101010 1011110 1110101 01010111 1101101 0111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,291
Words 254
Sentences 16
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 7, 5, 4, 5, 8, 2, 2, 2, 8
Lines Amount 43
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 111
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:16 min read
73

Khalil Gibran

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese artist, poet, and writer. more…

All Khalil Gibran poems | Khalil Gibran Books

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