Analysis of The Broken Tryst
Arthur Symons 1865 (Milford Haven) – 1945
That day a fire was in my blood;
I could have sung: joy wrapt me round;
The men I met seemed all so good,
I scarcely knew I trod the ground.
How easy seemed all toil! I laughed
To think that once I hated it.
The sunlight thrilled like wine, I quaffed
Delight, divine and infinite.
The very day was not too long;
I felt so patient; I could wait,
Being certain. So, the hours in song
Chimed out the minutes of my fate.
For she was coming, she, at last,
I knew: I knew that bolts and bars
Could stay her not; my heart throbbed fast,
I was not more certain of the stars.
The twilight came, grew deeper; now
The hour struck, minutes passed, and still
The passionate fervour of her vow
Ran in my heart's ear audible.
I had no doubt at all: I knew
That she would come, and I was then
Most certain, while the minutes flew:
Ah, how I scorned all other men!
Next moment! Ah! it was--was not!
I heard the stillness of the street.
Night came. The stars had not forgot.
The moonlight fell about my feet.
So I rebuked my heart, and said:
"Be still, for she is coming, see,
Next moment--coming. Ah, her tread,
I hear her coming--it is she!"
And then a woman passed. The hour
Rang heavily along the air.
I had no hope, I had no power
To think--for thought was but despair.
A thing had happened. What? My brain
Dared not so much as guess the thing.
And yet the sun would rise again
Next morning! I stood marvelling.
Scheme | ABXB XXAX CDCD EFEF GXGX HIHI JKJK LMLM NONO XXIC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (80%) Etheree (33%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 110101011 11111111 01111111 11011101 11011111 11111101 0111111 01010100 01011111 11110111 1010101001 11010111 11110111 11111101 11011111 111110101 0111101 010110101 01001101 10111100 11111111 11110111 11010101 11111101 11011111 11010101 11011101 0110111 11011101 11111101 11010101 11010111 010101010 11000101 111111110 11111101 01110111 11111101 01011101 110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,406 |
Words | 276 |
Sentences | 27 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 106 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:22 min read
- 98 Views
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"The Broken Tryst" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/4012/the-broken-tryst>.
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