Analysis of Suicide's Stone

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



Peace is the heir of dead desire,
Whether abundance killed the cormorant
In a happy hour, or sleep or death
Drowned him deep in dreamy waters,
Peace is the ashes of that fire,
The heir of that king, the inn of that journey.

This last and best and goal: we dead
Hold it so tight you are envious of us
And fear under sunk lids contempt.
Death-day greetings are the sweetest.
Let trumpets roar when a man dies
And rockets fly up, he has found his fortune.

Yet hungering long and pitiably
That way, you shall not reach a finger
To pluck it unripe and before dark
Creep to cover: life broke ten whipstocks
Over my back, broke faith, stole hope,
Before I denounced the covenant of courage.


Scheme AXXBAX XXXXXX XAXBXX
Poetic Form
Metre 110111010 1001010100 0010101111 11101010 110101110 01111011110 11010111 11111110011 01101101 11101010 11011011 01011111110 1100101 111111010 11110011 11101111 10111111 011010100110
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 674
Words 130
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 179
Words per stanza (avg) 43
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 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

    "Suicide's Stone" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32857/suicide%27s-stone>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Robinson Jeffers

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    1
    hour
    49
    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?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Still I Rise"?
    A Dylan Thomas
    B Robert Burns
    C Maya Angelou
    D Elizabeth Barrett Browning