Analysis of My Doves
Louisa May Alcott 1832 – 1888
OPPOSITE my chamber window,
On the sunny roof, at play,
High above the city's tumult,
Flocks of doves sit day by day.
Shining necks and snowy bosoms,
Little rosy, tripping feet,
Twinkling eyes and fluttering wings,
Cooing voices, low and sweet,-
Graceful games and friendly meetings,
Do I daily watch and see.
For these happy little neighbors
Always seem at peace to be.
On my window-ledge, to lure them,
Crumbs of bread I often strew,
And, behind the curtain hiding,
Watch them flutter to and fro.
Soon they cease to fear the giver,
Quick are they to feel my love,
And my alms are freely taken
By the shyest little dove.
In soft flight, they circle downward,
Peep in through the window-pane;
Stretch their gleaming necks to greet me,
Peck and coo, and come again.
Faithful little friends and neighbors,
For no wintry wind or rain,
Household cares or airy pastimes,
Can my loving birds restrain.
Other friends forget, or linger,
But each day I surely know
That my doves will come and leave here
Little footprints in the snow.
So, they teach me the sweet lesson,
That the humblest may give
Help and hope, and in so doing,
Learn the truth by which we live;
For the heart that freely scatters
Simple charities and loves,
Lures home content, and joy, and peace,
Like a soft-winged flock of doves.
Scheme | ABXBCDCD CCCEXXFA GHIHXJEX CJCJGAXA IXFXCCCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 10011010 1010111 10101010 1111111 1010101 1010101 100101001 1010101 10101010 1110101 11101010 111111 11101111 1111101 00101010 1110101 11111010 1111111 01111010 101101 01111010 1010101 11101111 1010101 10101010 1110111 111101 1110101 10101110 1111101 11111011 101001 11110110 1010011 10100110 1011111 1011101 1010001 11100101 1011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,300 |
Words | 232 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 203 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 19, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 133 Views
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"My Doves" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26068/my-doves>.
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