Analysis of The Wraith
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
Ah me, it is cold and chill
And the fire sobs low in the grate,
While the wind rides by on the hill,
And the logs crack sharp with hate.
And she, she is cold and sad
As ever the sinful are,
But deep in my heart I am glad
For my wound and the coming scar.
Oh, ever the wind rides by
And ever the raindrops grieve;
But a voice like a woman's sigh
Says, 'Do you believe, believe?'
Ah, you were warm and sweet,
Sweet as the May days be;
Down did I fall at your feet,
Why did you hearken to me?
Oh, the logs they crack and whine,
And the water drops from the eaves;
But it is not rain but brine
Where my dead darling grieves.
And a wraith sits by my side,
A spectre grim and dark;
Are you gazing here open-eyed
Out to the lifeless dark?
But ever the wind rides on,
And we sit close within;
Out of the face of the dawn,
I and my darling,--sin.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL XMXM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1111101 001011001 10111101 0011111 0111101 1100101 11011111 11100101 1100111 010011 10110101 1110101 110101 110111 1111111 111111 1011101 00101101 1111111 111101 0011111 010101 11101101 110101 1100111 011101 1101101 101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 818 |
Words | 179 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 90 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 53 sec read
- 53 Views
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"The Wraith" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28965/the-wraith>.
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