Analysis of Why Do Birds Sing?
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Let poets piece prismatic words,
Give me the jewelled joy of birds!
What ecstasy moves them to sing?
Is it the lyric glee of Spring,
The dewy rapture of the rose?
Is it the worship born in those
Who are of Nature's self a part,
The adoration of the heart?
Is it the mating mood in them
That makes each crystal note a gem?
Oh mocking bird and nightingale,
Oh mavis, lark and robin - hail!
Tell me what perfect passion glows
In your inspired arpeggios?
A thrush is thrilling as I write
Its obligato of delight;
And in its fervour, as in mine,
I fathom tenderness divine,
And pity those of earthy ear
Who cannot hear . . . who cannot hear.
Let poets pattern pretty words:
For lovely largesse - bless you, Birds!
Scheme | AA BBCCDD EEFFCA GGHHII AA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010101 1101111 11001111 11010111 01010101 11010101 11110101 0010101 11010101 11110101 11010100 11010101 11101101 010101 01110111 11101 0011101 11010001 01011101 11011101 11010101 11001111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 695 |
Words | 134 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 6, 6, 6, 2 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 110 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 19, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 136 Views
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"Why Do Birds Sing?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32748/why-do-birds-sing%3F>.
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