Analysis of Alpine Holiday
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
He took the grade in second - quite a climb,
Dizzy and dangerous, yet how sublime!
The road went up and up; it curved around
The mountain and the gorge grew more profound.
He drove serenely, with no hint of haste;
And then she felt his arm go round her waist.
She shrank: she did not know him very well,
Being like her a guest at the hotel.
Nice, but a Frenchman. On his driving hand
He wore like benedicks a golden band . . .
Well, how could she with grace refuse a drive
So grand it made glad to be alive?
Yet now she heard him whisper in her ear:
"Don't be afraid. With one hand I can steer,
With one arm hold you . . . Oh what perfect bliss!
Darling, please don't refuse me just one kiss.
Here, nigh to Heaven, let is us rest awhile . . .
Nay, don't resist - give me your lips, your smile . . ."
So there in that remote and dizzy place
He wrestled with her for a moment's space,
Hearing her cry: "Oh please, please let me go!
Let me get out . . . You brute, release me! No, no,
NO!"
. . . In that ravine was found their burnt-out car -
Their bodies trapped and crisped into a char.
Scheme | AABBCC DDEEFF XXGGHH IIJJJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (24%) |
Metre | 1101010101 1001001101 0111011101 0100011101 11010011111 0111111101 1111111101 1010011001 1101011101 11110101 1111110101 111111101 1111110001 1101111111 1111111011 1011011111 11110111101 1101111111 1101010101 1101010101 1001111111 11111101111 1 0101111111 1101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,085 |
Words | 211 |
Sentences | 32 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 7 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 199 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 56 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 97 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Alpine Holiday" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31976/alpine-holiday>.
Discuss this Robert William Service poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In