Analysis of Let Them Alone

Robinson Jeffers 1887 (Allegheny) – 1962 (Carmel-by-the-Sea)



If God has been good enough to give you a poet
Then listen to him. But for God's sake let him alone until he is dead;
no prizes, no ceremony,
They kill the man. A poet is one who listens
To nature and his own heart; and if the noise of the world grows up
around him, and if he is tough enough,
He can shake off his enemies, but not his friends.
That is what withered Wordsworth and muffled Tennyson, and would have
killed Keats; that is what makes
Hemingway play the fool and Faulkner forget his art.


Scheme ABCDEFGHIJ
Poetic Form
Metre 1111101111010 110111111110101111 1101100 110101011110 1100111010110111 0110111101 111111001111 1111010010100011 111111 101010100111
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 502
Words 101
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10
Lines Amount 10
Letters per line (avg) 39
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 388
Words per stanza (avg) 99
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 09, 2023

30 sec read
117

Robinson Jeffers

John Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. more…

All Robinson Jeffers poems | Robinson Jeffers Books

2 fans

Discuss this Robinson Jeffers poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Let Them Alone" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32815/let-them-alone>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    21
    hours
    31
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of the following is not one of the "three unities"?
    A Unity of place
    B Unity of action
    C Unity of character
    D Unity of time