Analysis of Flesh and Spirit
William Baylebridge 1883 (Brisbane) – 1942
No! 'twas the questing dream that first achieved her--
More sensed for knowing no material part,
More real that no false outward eye perceived her,
Too gross, but that pure eye within my heart.
Nor feigned I, as my spirit so embraced her,
These arms encumbered might; ah! could they too,
Would she not fade as vision e'er effaced her,
As loves in this weak flesh so often do?
In flesh she might escape me, might expire
In the vicissitudes through flesh that range;
But, being the shadow of my heart's desire,
She could not pass beyond me, could not change.
O paradox! Want food--you are richer fed!
Lack the coarse crumbs--you find diviner bread!
Scheme | ABABACACDEAEFF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111010 11110101001 11111101010 1111110111 11111101010 1101011111 11111101010 1101111101 0111011101 0001001111 11001111010 1111011111 1101111101 10111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 654 |
Words | 117 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 502 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 115 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 112 Views
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"Flesh and Spirit" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39069/flesh-and-spirit>.
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