Analysis of A Corn-Song
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
ON the wide veranda white,
In the purple failing light,
Sits the master while the sun is lowly burning;
And his dreamy thoughts are drowned
In the softly flowing sound
Of the corn-songs of the field-hands slow returning.
Oh, we hoe de co'n
Since de ehly mo'n;
Now de sinkin' sun
Says de day is done.
O'er the fields with heavy tread,
Light of heart and high of head,
Though the halting steps be labored, slow, and weary;
Still the spirits brave and strong
Find a comforter in song,
And their corn-song rises ever loud and cheery.
Oh, we hoe de co'n
Since de ehly mo'n;
Now de sinkin' sun
Says de day is done.
To the master in his seat,
Comes the burden, full and sweet,
Of the mellow minor music growing clearer,
As the toilers raise the hymn,
Thro' the silence dusk and dim,
To the cabin's restful shelter drawing nearer.
Oh, we hoe de co'n
Since de ehly mo'n;
Now de sinkin' sun
Says de day is done.
And a tear is in the eye
Of the master sitting by,
As he listens to the echoes low-replying
To the music's fading calls
As it faints away and falls
Into silence, deep within the cabin dying.
Oh, we hoe de co'n
Since de ehly mo'n;
Now de sinkin' sun
Says de day is done.
Scheme | aabccbDDEEffghhgDDEEiijkkjDDEEllbmmbDDEE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (23%) |
Metre | 1010101 0010101 101010111010 0110111 0010101 101110111010 111111 111011 1111 11111 10011101 1110111 101011101010 1010101 1010001 011110101010 111111 111011 1111 11111 1010011 1010101 101010101010 101101 1010101 10110101010 111111 111011 1111 11111 0011001 1010101 111010101010 1010101 1110101 011010101010 111111 111011 1111 11111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,140 |
Words | 228 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 40 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 893 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 226 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 1:11 min read
- 85 Views
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"A Corn-Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28604/a-corn-song>.
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