Analysis of In Three Days

Robert Browning 1812 (Camberwell) – 1889 (Venice)



So, I shall see her in three days
And just one night, but nights are short,
Then two long hours, and that is morn.
See how I come, unchanged, unworn!
Feel, where my life broke off from thine,
How fresh the splinters keep and fine,---
Only a touch and we combine!

Too long, this time of year, the days!
But nights, at least the nights are short.
As night shows where ger one moon is,
A hand's-breadth of pure light and bliss,
So life's night gives my lady birth
And my eyes hold her! What is worth
The rest of heaven, the rest of earth?

O loaded curls, release your store
Of warmth and scent, as once before
The tingling hair did, lights and darks
Outbreaking into fairy sparks,
When under curl and curl I pried
After the warmth and scent inside,
Thro' lights and darks how manifold---
The dark inspired, the light controlled
As early Art embrowns the gold.

What great fear, should one say, ``Three days
``That change the world might change as well
``Your fortune; and if joy delays,
``Be happy that no worse befell!''
What small fear, if another says,
``Three days and one short night beside
``May throw no shadow on your ways;
``But years must teem with change untried,
``With chance not easily defied,
``With an end somewhere undescried.''
No fear!---or if a fear be born
This minute, it dies out in scorn.
Fear? I shall see her in three days
And one night, now the nights are short,
Then just two hours, and that is morn.


Scheme ABCCDDD ABXXEEE FFAXGGHHH AIAIXGAGGBCCABC
Poetic Form
Metre 11110011 01111111 111100111 1111011 11111111 1101101 10010110 11111101 11110111 11111111 01111101 11111101 01110111 011100111 11010111 11011101 010011101 101101 11010111 10010101 1101110 010100101 1101101 11111111 11011111 11001101 11011101 11110101 11011101 1111111 11111101 11110001 11111 11110111 11011101 11110011 01110111 111100111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,411
Words 273
Sentences 19
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 9, 15
Lines Amount 38
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 274
Words per stanza (avg) 66
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 07, 2023

1:21 min read
142

Robert Browning

Robert Browning was the father of poet Robert Browning. more…

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