Analysis of The Bard
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky 1783 (village of Mishenskoe) – 1852
My friends, can you descry that mound of earth
Above clear waters in the shade of trees?
You can just hear the babbling spring against the bank;
You can just feel a breeze that's wafting in the leaves;
A wreath and lyre hang upon the boughs...
Alas, my friends! This mound's a grave;
Here earth conceals the ashes of a bard;
Poor bard!
A gentle soul, a simple heart
He was a sojourner in the world;
He'd barely bloomed, yet lost his taste for life
He craved his end with yearning and excitement;
And early on he met his end,
He found the grave's desired sleep.
Your time was but a moment - a moment sad
Poor bard!
He sang with tenderness of friendship to his friend, -
His loyal friend cut down in his life's bloom;
He sang of love - but in a doleful voice;
Alas! Of love he knew naught but its woe;
Now all has met with its demise,
Your soul partakes of peace eternal;
You slumber in your silent grave,
Poor bard!
Here, by this stream one eventide
He sang his doleful farewell song:
'O lovely world, where blossomed I in vain;
Farewell forever; with a soul deceived
For happiness I waited - but my dreams have died;
All's perished; lyre, be still;
To your serene abode, o haste,
Poor bard!
What's life, when charm is lacking?
To know of bliss, with all the spirit's striving,
Only to see oneself cut off by an abyss;
Each moment to desire and yet fear desiring...
O refuge of vexatious hearts,
O grave, sure path to peace,
When will you call to your embrace
The poor bard?'
The bard's no more ... his lyre's silent...
All trace of him has disappeared from here;
The hills and valleys mourn;
And all is still ... save zephyrs soft,
That stir the faded wreath,
And waft betimes above the grave,
A woeful lyre responds:
Poor bard!
В тени дерев, над чистыми водами
044;ерновы 081; холм вы видите ль, друзья?
1063;уть слышно там плескае т в брег струя;
Ч 1091;ть ветерок там дышит меж листами ;
На ветвях лира и венец...
У вы! друзья, сей холм - могила;
1047;десь прах певца земля сокрыла ;
Бедный певец!
i 4;н сердцем прост, он нежен был душою
Н 086; в мире он минутны й странни к был;
Едв 1072; расцвел - и жизнь уж разлюби л
И ждал конца с волнень ем и тоскою;
1048; рано встрети л он конец,
З 1072;снул желанны м сном могилы...
Твой век был миг, но миг унылый,
1041;едный певец!
i 4;н друk
Scheme | xxxxxabB xxxcdxxB dxxxxxaB bxxxxxxB eexexxxb cxxxxaxB fff f ffF fF f f |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (32%) |
Metre | 111111111 0111000111 1111010010101 111101110001 010110101 01111101 1101010101 11 01010101 110100001 1101111111 11111100010 01011111 11010101 11110100101 11 111100110111 1101110111 1111100101 0111111111 11111101 11111010 11001101 11 111111 1111011 1101110101 101010101 110011011111 110111 11010111 11 1111110 11111101010 10111111101 11010100110100 11010101 111111 11111101 011 01111110 111110111 010101 01111101 110101 0110101 010101 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 4,550 |
Words | 731 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 1 |
Lines Amount | 65 |
Letters per line (avg) | 44 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 319 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 3:42 min read
- 86 Views
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"The Bard" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37463/the-bard>.
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