Analysis of Elegy to the Memory of Werter
Mary Darby Robinson 1757 (England) – 1800 (England)
"With female Fairies will thy tomb be haunted
"And worms will not come to thee." SHAKSPERE.
WHEN from Day's closing eye the lucid tears
Fall lightly on the bending lily's head;
When o'er the blushing sky night's curtains spread,
And the tall mountain's summit scarce appears;
When languid Evening, sinking to repose,
Her filmy mantle o'er the landscape throws;
Of THEE I'll sing; and as the mournful song
Glides in slow numbers the dark woods among;
My wand'ring steps shall seek the lonely shade,
Where all thy virtues, all thy griefs are laid!
Yes, hopeless suff'rer, friendless and forlorn,
Sweet victim of love's power; the silent tear
Shall oft at twilight's close, and glimm'ring morn
Gem the pale primrose that adorns thy bier,
And as the balmy dew ascends to heaven,
Thy crime shall steal away, thy frailty be forgiv'n.
Oft by the moon's wan beam the love-lorn maid,
Led by soft SYMPATHY, shall stroll along;
Oft shall she listen in the Lime-tree's * shade,
Her cold blood freezing at the night-owl's song:
Or, when she hears the death-bell's solemn sound,
Her light steps echoing o'er the hollow ground;
Oft shall the trickling tear adorn her cheek,
Thy pow'r, O SENSIBILITY ! in magic charms to speak!
For the poor PILGRIM, doom'd afar to roam
From the dear comforts of his native home,
A glitt'ring star puts forth a silv'ry ray,
Soothes his sad heart, and marks his tedious way;
The short-liv'd radiance cheers the gloom of night,
And decks Heaven's murky dome with transitory light.
So from the mournful CHARLOTTE's dark-orb'd lids,
The sainted tear of pitying VIRTUE flows;
And the last boon, the "churlish priest" forbids,
On thy lone grave the sacred drop bestows;
There shall the sparkling dews of Evening shine,
AND HEAVEN'S OWN INCENSE CONSECRATE THE SHRINE.
Scheme | XA XBBXCCDXEE FAFAXF EDEDGGHH IIAXJJ KCKCLL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110111110 01111111 1111010101 110101011 11001011101 0011010101 1101010101 011010011 1111010101 1011001101 1111110101 1111011111 11011001 11011100101 11111011 101110111 01010101110 11110111011 1101110111 1111001101 1111000111 0111010111 1111011101 011100100101 1101010101 11110100010111 1011010111 1011011101 01111011 11110111001 01110010111 011010111001 1101010111 01011100101 0011010101 1111010101 1101011101 0101011001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,761 |
Words | 303 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 10, 6, 8, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 38 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 232 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:38 min read
- 31 Views
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"Elegy to the Memory of Werter" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26727/elegy-to-the-memory-of-werter>.
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