Analysis of Dumb

Aleister Crowley 1875 (Leamington Spa) – 1947 (Hastings)



Gabriel whispered in mine ear
His archangelic poesie.
How can I write? I only hear
The sobbing murmur of the sea.

Raphael breathed and bade me pass
His rapt evangel to mankind;
I cannot even match, alas!
The ululation of the wind.

The gross grey gods like gargoyles spit
On every poet's holy head;
No mustard-seed of truth or wit
In those curst furrows, quick or dead!

A tithe of what I know would cleanse
The leprosy of earth; and I -
My limits are like other men's.
I must live dumb, and dumb must die!


Scheme ABAB BCBC DEDE BFBF
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 10010011 111 11111101 01010101 0110111 111111 11010101 01101 0111111 110010101 11011111 0111111 01111111 01001101 11011101 11110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 497
Words 98
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 98
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
127

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, and mountaineer. more…

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