Analysis of Premonition
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
DEAR heart, good-night!
Nay, list awhile that sweet voice singing
When the world is all so bright,
And the sound of song sets the heart a-ringing,
Oh, love, it is not right—
Not then to say, 'Good-night.'
Dear heart, good-night!
The late winds in the lake weeds shiver,
And the spray flies cold and white.
And the voice that sings gives a telltale quiver —
'Ah, yes, the world is bright,
But, dearest heart, good-night!'
Dear heart, good-night!
And do not longer seek to hold me!
For my soul is in affright
As the fearful glooms in their pall enfold me.
See him who sang how white
And still; so, dear, good-night.
Dear heart, good-night!
Thy hand I'll press no more forever,
And mine eyes shall lose the light;
For the great white wraith by the winding river
Shall check my steps with might.
So, dear, good-night, good-night!
Scheme | AbabaaAcacaaAdadaaAcacaa |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111 110111110 1011111 00111101010 111111 111111 1111 011001110 0011101 0011110110 110111 110111 1111 011101111 111101 10101011011 111111 011111 1111 111111010 0111101 10111101010 111111 111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 814 |
Words | 152 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 625 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 148 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 72 Views
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"Premonition" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28835/premonition>.
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