Analysis of Hound Voice

William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton)



BECAUSE we love bare hills and stunted trees
And were the last to choose the settled ground,
Its boredom of the desk or of the spade, because
So many years companioned by a hound,
Our voices carry; and though slumber-bound,
Some few half wake and half renew their choice,
Give tongue, proclaim their hidden name -- 'Hound Voice.'

The women that I picked spoke sweet and low
And yet gave tongue.  'Hound Voices' were they all.
We picked each other from afar and knew
What hour of terror comes to test the soul,
And in that terror's name obeyed the call,
And understood, what none have understood,
Those images that waken in the blood.
Some day we shall get up before the dawn
And find our ancient hounds before the door,
And wide awake know that the hunt is on;
Stumbling upon the blood-dark track once more,
Then stumbling to the kill beside the shore;
Then cleaning out and bandaging of wounds,
And chantS of victory amid the encircling hounds.


Scheme XAXAABB XCXXCXXXDXDDXX
Poetic Form
Metre 0111110101 0001110101 110101110101 11011101 10101001101 1111010111 1101110111 0101111101 0111110011 1111010101 11011011101 001110101 00111101 1100110001 1111110101 01101010101 0101110111 10001011111 11001010101 11010111 01110001001001
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 933
Words 173
Sentences 6
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 7, 14
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 373
Words per stanza (avg) 86
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
109

William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. more…

All William Butler Yeats poems | William Butler Yeats Books

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