Analysis of The Joy of Incompleteness
If all our life were one broad glare
Of sunlight, clear, unclouded;
If all our path were smooth and fair,
By no soft gloom enshrouded;
If all life's flowers were fully blown
Without the sweet unfolding,
And happiness were rudely thrown
On hands too weak for holding--
Should we not miss the twilight hours,
The gentle haze and sadness?
Should we not long for storms and showers
To break the constant gladness?
If none were sick and none were sad,
What service could we render?
I think if we were always glad,
We scarcely could be tender.
Did our beloved never need
Our patient ministration,
Earth would grow cold and miss indeed
Its sweetest consolation;
If sorrow never claimed our heart,
And every wish were granted,
Patience would die, and hope depart--
Life would be disenchanted.
And yet in heaven is no more night,
In heaven is no more sorrow!
Such unimagined new delight
Fresh grace from pain will borrow.
As the poor seed that underground
Seeks its true life above it,
Not knowing what will there be found
When sunbeams kiss and love it,
So we in darkness upward grow,
And look and long for heaven,
But cannot picture it below
Till more of light be given.
Scheme | ABABCDCDEXEE BFBFBGBGBBBB BHBHBBBBHGHG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111010111 1111 111010101 1111010 111100101 0101010 01000101 1111110 11110110 0101010 111111010 110101 11010101 1101110 1111011 1101110 11001101 1010010 11110101 110010 110101101 01001010 10110101 1110010 010101111 01011110 1010101 111111 1011110 1111011 11011111 111011 11010101 0101110 11010101 1111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,136 |
Words | 210 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 308 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 69 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 79 Views
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"The Joy of Incompleteness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3495/the-joy-of-incompleteness>.
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