Analysis of Dead
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
A KNOCK is at her door, but she is weak;
Strange dews have washed the paint streaks from her cheek;
She does not rise, but, ah, this friend is known,
And knows that he will find her all alone.
So opens he the door, and with soft tread
Goes straightway to the richly curtained bed.
His soft hand on her dewy head he lays.
A strange white light she gives him for his gaze.
Then, looking on the glory of her charms,
He crushes her resistless in his arms.
Stand back! look not upon this bold embrace,
Nor view the calmness of the wanton's face;
With joy unspeakable and 'bated breath,
She keeps her last, long liaison with death!
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111011111 1111011101 1111111111 0111110101 1101010111 11101011 1111010111 0111111111 1101010101 11001011 1111011101 110101011 1101000101 110110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 620 |
Words | 121 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 484 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 119 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 10, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 88 Views
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"Dead" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28698/dead>.
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