Analysis of The Hidden Heart

Roderic Quinn 1867 (Surry Hills, New South Wales) – 1949 (Darlinghurst, New South Wales)



AS I rode out of Lochinvar
About me all the scene was fair;
The skies, with not a cloud to mar,
Were filled with fresh and dewy air,
While making song, a merry throng,
The thrushes warbled everywhere.
As I rode out of Lochinvar
Through Fairydom I seemed to go,
For round about, and near and far,
Enchanted lights began to glow;
And where I went, on what intent,
And who I was I did not know!
For lo, I met a troubadour
As I rode out of Lochinvar;
His like on earth is seen no more,
With feathered hat and gay guitar;
And loud and clear, and sweet to hear,
He sang a song of love and war.
As I rode out of Lochinvar
He sang a song I somehow knew,
The while he touched his gay guitar;
And when I asked him, 'Who are you?'
'Yourself!' he said — and bowed his head,
And vanished like the morning dew.
Though I may see him nevermore,
This much in very truth I ken,
That one, at heart a troubadour,
May seem a sober citizen,
Who sets afar his gay guitar
To seem just like his fellow men.


Scheme AaaabaAcacdcaAaaaaAeaefeagahag
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 111111 01110111 01110111 01110101 11010101 0101010 111111 111111 11010101 01010111 01111101 01111111 1111010 111111 11111111 11010101 01010111 11011101 111111 1101111 01111101 01111111 01110111 01010101 1111110 11010111 1111010 11010100 11011101 11111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 962
Words 202
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 30
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 745
Words per stanza (avg) 198
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 22, 2023

1:00 min read
59

Roderic Quinn

Roderic Joseph Quinn was an Australian poet. more…

All Roderic Quinn poems | Roderic Quinn Books

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