Analysis of I shall not Die for thee

Padraic Colum 1881 (County Longford) – 1972 (Enfield)



O woman, shapely as the swan,
On your account I shall not die:
The men you've slain -- a trivial clan --
Were less than I.
I ask me shall I die for these --
For blossom teeth and scarlet lips --
And shall that delicate swan-shape
Bring me eclipse?
Well-shaped the breasts and smooth the skin,
The cheeks are fair, the tresses free --
And yet I shall not suffer death,
God over me!
Those even brows, that hair like gold,
Those languorous tones, that virgin way,
The flowing limbs, the rounded heel
Slight men betray!
Thy spirit keen through radiant mien,
Thy shining throat and smiling eye,
Thy little palm, thy side like foam --
I cannot die!
O woman, shapely as the swan,
In a cunning house hard-reared was I:
O bosom white, O well-shaped palm,
I shall not die!


Scheme AbcbdefeghihjklkmbnbAbob
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 11011111 011101001 0111 11111111 11010101 01110011 1101 11010101 01110101 01111101 1101 11011111 1111101 01010101 1101 110111001 11010101 11011111 1101 11010101 001011111 11011111 1111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 770
Words 145
Sentences 7
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 578
Words per stanza (avg) 143
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

43 sec read
84

Padraic Colum

Padraic Colum was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. more…

All Padraic Colum poems | Padraic Colum Books

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