Analysis of In the desert

Stephen Crane 1871 – 1900



In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter -- bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."


Scheme ABCDEFGEHI
Poetic Form Etheree  (50%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 0010 110101010 1100101 111011 0111 111111 111010110 1111 011110 0011111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 266
Words 56
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10
Lines Amount 10
Letters per line (avg) 19
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 186
Words per stanza (avg) 51
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 21, 2023

15 sec read
328

Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane was an American politician from Elizabethtown who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. more…

All Stephen Crane poems | Stephen Crane Books

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