Analysis of By Broad Potomac's Shore

Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)




   BY broad Potomac's shore--again, old tongue!
   (Still uttering--still ejaculating--canst never cease this babble?)
   Again, old heart so gay--again to you, your sense, the full flush
         spring returning;
   Again the freshness and the odors--again Virginia's summer sky,
         pellucid blue and silver,
   Again the forenoon purple of the hills,
   Again the deathless grass, so noiseless, soft and green,
   Again the blood-red roses blooming.

Perfume this book of mine, O blood-red roses!
   Lave subtly with your waters every line, Potomac!
   Give me of you, O spring, before I close, to put between its
         pages!                                                       10
   O forenoon purple of the hills, before I close, of you!
   O smiling earth--O summer sun, give me of you!
   O deathless grass, of you!


Scheme XXXAXXXXA XXXXBBB
Poetic Form
Metre 11110111 1100111101110 011111011111011 1010 01010001001010101 11010 010110101 0101111101 010111010 01111111110 110011101001010 111111011111011 10 1110101011111 110111011111 11111
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 829
Words 120
Sentences 10
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 9, 7
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 277
Words per stanza (avg) 86
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

36 sec read
105

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. more…

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