Analysis of White Magic

Arthur Symons 1865 (Milford Haven) – 1945



Against the world I closed my heart,
And, half in pride and half in fear,
I said to Love and Lust: Depart;
None enters here.

A gipsy witch has glided in,
She takes her seat beside my fire;
Her eyes are innocent of sin,
Mine of desire.

She holds me with an unknown spell,
She folds me in her heart's embrace;
If this be love, I cannot tell:
I watch her face.

Her sombre eyes are happier
Than any joy that e'er had voice;
Since I am happiness to her,
I too rejoice.

And I have closed the door again,
Against the world I close my heart;
I hold her with my spell; in vain
Would she depart.

I hold her with a surer spell,
Beyond her magic, and above:
If hers be love, I cannot tell,
But mine is love.


Scheme AXAX BCBC DEDE CFCF XAXA DGDG
Poetic Form Quatrain  (83%)
Metre 01011111 01010101 11110101 1101 0111100 110101110 01110011 11010 11111011 11100101 11111101 1101 0111100 110111011 11110010 1101 01110101 01011111 11011101 1101 11010101 01010001 10111101 1111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 685
Words 143
Sentences 7
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 88
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 07, 2023

43 sec read
119

Arthur Symons

Arthur William Symons, was a British poet, critic and magazine editor. more…

All Arthur Symons poems | Arthur Symons Books

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