Analysis of On Hearing
William Lisle Bowles 1762 (King's Sutton) – 1850
O stay, harmonious and sweet sounds, that die
In the long vaultings of this ancient fane!
Stay, for I may not hear on earth again
Those pious airs--that glorious harmony;
Lifting the soul to brighter orbs on high,
Worlds without sin or sorrow! Ah, the strain
Has died--even the last sounds that lingeringly
Hung on the roof ere they expired!
And I
Stand in the world of strife, amidst a throng,
A throng that reckons not of death or sin!
Oh, jarring scenes! to cease, indeed, ere long;
The worm hears not the discord and the din;
But he whose heart thrills to this angel song
Feels the pure joy of heaven on earth begin!
Scheme | ABCDABEFAGHGHGH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (27%) |
Metre | 11010001111 001111101 1111111101 11011100100 1001110111 1011110101 111001111 11011101 01 1001110101 0111011111 1101110111 0111010001 1111111101 10111101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 675 |
Words | 117 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 15 |
Lines Amount | 15 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 483 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 115 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 119 Views
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"On Hearing" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40906/on-hearing>.
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