Analysis of A Litany of Lethe
Arthur Symons 1865 (Milford Haven) – 1945
O Lethe, hidden waters never dry,
We, all we weary and heavy-laden, cry,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
--All we have sinnèd, and yet the scars remain.
--And we, all we had sorrow.--And we had pain.
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou that dost flow from Death to Death through Sleep,
Whose waters are the tears of those that weep,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou that dost bring sweet peace to hospitals,
And to the captive openest prison-walls,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou that dost loose the soul from murdered Truth,
And youth from yesterday, and age from youth,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou from lost love remembered sett'st us free
From hopeless love, a lorn eternity;
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou from repentance tak'st the sting, from vice
The memory of a forfeit Paradise;
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou in our grief dost hide from us no less
The anguish of remembered happiness;
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Thou that dost lay alike on all thy spell,
And free the saint from heaven, the wretch from hell,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Bring, bring soft sleep, and close all eyes for us,
Sleep without dreams, and peace oblivious;
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
We, all we weary and heavy-laden, cry,
Too tired to live, and yet too weak to die,
O Lethe, let us find thee and forget!
Scheme | aAB ccB ddB xxB eeB ffB ggB xhB iiB hhB AaB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111010101 11110010101 111111001 11111010101 01111100111 111111001 1111111111 1101011111 111111001 111111110 010101101 111111001 1111011101 011100111 111111001 1111010111 1101010100 111111001 11010110111 0100101010 111111001 10101111111 0101010100 111111001 1111011111 01011100111 111111001 1111011111 1011010100 111111001 11110010101 11011011111 111111001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,382 |
Words | 267 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 97 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:20 min read
- 69 Views
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"A Litany of Lethe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3919/a-litany-of-lethe>.
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