Analysis of In a Museum

Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)



Here's the mould of a musical bird long passed from light,
Which over the earth before man came was winging;
There's a contralto voice I heard last night,
That lodges with me still in its sweet singing.

Such a dream is Time that the coo of this ancient bird
Has perished not, but is blent, or will be blending
Mid visionless wilds of space with the voice that I heard,
In the full-fuged song of the universe unending.


Scheme ABAB CBCB
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1011010011111 110010111110 10111111 11011101110 1011110111101 110111111110 11111101111 001111010010
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 427
Words 82
Sentences 3
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4
Lines Amount 8
Letters per line (avg) 41
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 165
Words per stanza (avg) 39
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

25 sec read
443

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, was not a Scottish Minister, not a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland nor a Professor of Eccesiastical History at Edinburgh University. more…

All Thomas Hardy poems | Thomas Hardy Books

11 fans

Discuss this Thomas Hardy poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "In a Museum" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36404/in-a-museum>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    6
    hours
    9
    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 "Ode to the West Wind" that inspired a political and moral change?
    A Percy Shelley
    B William Shakespeare
    C Ted Hughes
    D Sylvia Plath