Analysis of At An Inn
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
WHEN we as strangers sought
Their catering care,
Veiled smiles bespoke their thought
Of what we were.
They warmed as they opined
Us more than friends--
That we had all resigned
For love's dear ends.
And that swift sympathy
With living love
Which quicks the world--maybe
The spheres above,
Made them our ministers,
Moved them to say,
"Ah, God, that bliss like theirs
Would flush our day!"
And we were left alone
As Love's own pair;
Yet never the love-light shone
Between us there!
But that which chilled the breath
Of afternoon,
And palsied unto death
The pane-fly's tune.
The kiss their zeal foretold,
And now deemed come,
Came not: within his hold
Love lingered numb.
Why cast he on our port
A bloom not ours?
Why shaped us for his sport
In after-hours?
As we seemed we were not
That day afar,
And now we seem not what
We aching are.
O severing sea and land,
O laws of men,
Ere death, once let us stand
As we stood then!
Scheme | ABAXCDCD EFEFGHXH IBIBJKJK LMLMNGNG XOXOPQPQ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (38%) Tetractys (33%) |
Metre | 111101 11001 11111 1110 111101 1111 111101 1111 011100 1101 110110 0101 1110100 1111 111111 11101 010101 1111 1100111 0111 111101 101 01101 0111 011101 0111 110111 1101 1111101 01110 111111 01010 111101 1101 011111 1101 1100101 1111 111111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,145 |
Words | 174 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 143 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 27, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 284 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"At An Inn" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36335/at-an-inn>.
Discuss this Thomas Hardy poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In