Analysis of Blueflags

William Carlos Williams 1883 (Rutherford) – 1963 (Rutherford)



I stopped the car
to let the children down
where the streets end
in the sun
at the marsh edge
and the reeds begin
and there are small houses
facing the reeds
and the blue mist in the distance
with grapevine trellises
with grape clusters
small as strawberries
on the vines
and ditches
running springwater
that continue the gutters
with willows over them.
The reeds begin
like water at a shore
their pointed petals waving
dark green and light.
But blueflags are blossoming
in the reeds
which the children pluck
chattering in the reeds
high over their heads
which they part
with bare arms to appear
with fists of flowers
till in the air
there comes the smell
of calmus
from wet, gummy stalks.


Scheme ABCDEFGHIGJKLGAJMFNOPOHQHRSTJUVGW
Poetic Form
Metre 1101 110101 1011 001 1011 00101 011110 1001 00110010 111 1110 1110 101 010 101 1010010 11101 0101 110101 1101010 1101 111100 001 10101 100001 11011 111 111101 11110 1001 1101 11 11101
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 697
Words 126
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 33
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 17
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 562
Words per stanza (avg) 124
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
93

William Carlos Williams

William Carlos Williams was a Latino-American poet closely associated with modernism and imagism. more…

All William Carlos Williams poems | William Carlos Williams Books

5 fans

Discuss this William Carlos Williams poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Blueflags" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39647/blueflags>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    18
    hours
    14
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    By which poet was "The Raven" written?
    A Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    B William Shakespeare
    C Edgar Allan Poe
    D Thomas Hardy