Analysis of The Memory Of Martha
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
OUT in de night a sad bird moans,
An', oh, but hit's moughty lonely;
Times I kin sing, but mos' I groans,
Fu' oh, but hit's moughty lonely!
Is you sleepin' well dis evenin', Marfy, deah?
W'en I calls you f'om de cabin, kin you hyeah?
'T ain't de same ol' place to me,
Nuffin' 's lak hit used to be,
W'en I knowed dat you was allus some'ers near.
Down by de road de shadders grows,
An', oh, but hit's moughty lonely;
Seem lak de ve'y moonlight knows,
An', oh, but hit's moughty lonely!
Does you know, I's cryin' fu' you, oh, my wife?
Does you know dey ain't no joy no mo' in life?
An' my only t'ought is dis,
Dat I's honin' fu' de bliss
Fu' to quit dis groun' o' worriment an' strife.
Dah on de baid my banjo lays,
An', oh, but hit's moughty lonely;
Can't even sta't a chune o' praise,
An', oh, but hit's moughty lonely!
Oh, hit's moughty slow a-waitin' hyeah below.
Is you watchin' fu' me, Marfy, at de do'?
Ef you is, in spite o' sin,
Dey'll be sho' to let me in,
W'en dey sees yo' face a-shinin', den dey'll know.
Scheme | aBabcdbbefBfBgghhgiBiBjckkj |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10110111 1111110 11111111 1111110 11111111 10011111110111 11111111 1111111 1001111111111 1111111 1111110 1111111 1111110 1111111111 11111111101 11101111 111111 111111111 1111111 1111110 110110111 1111110 111101101 111111111 1110111 1111110 1001111101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,001 |
Words | 204 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 27 |
Lines Amount | 27 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 709 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 202 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:07 min read
- 49 Views
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"The Memory Of Martha" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28918/the-memory-of-martha>.
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