Analysis of The Willow-Tree
William Makepeace Thackeray 1811 – 1863
Know ye the willow-tree
Whose gray leaves quiver,
Whispering gloomily
To yon pale river;
Lady, at even-tide
Wander not near it,
They say its branches hide
A sad, lost spirit?
Once to the willow-tree
A maid came fearful,
Pale seemed her cheek to be,
Her blue eye tearful;
Soon as she saw the tree,
Her step moved fleeter,
No one was there—ah me!
No one to meet her!
Quick beat her heart to hear
The far bell's chime
Toll from the chapel-tower
The trysting time:
But the red sun went down
In golden flame,
And though she looked round,
Yet no one came!
Presently came the night,
Sadly to greet her,—
Moon in her silver light,
Stars in their glitter;
Then sank the moon away
Under the billow,
Still wept the maid alone—
There by the willow!
Through the long darkness,
By the stream rolling,
Hour after hour went on
Tolling and tolling.
Long was the darkness,
Lonely and stilly;
Shrill came the night-wind,
Piercing and chilly.
Shrill blew the morning breeze,
Biting and cold,
Bleak peers the gray dawn
Over the wold.
Bleak over moor and stream
Looks the grey dawn,
Gray, with dishevelled hair,
Still stands the willow there—
THE MAID IS GONE!
Domine, Domine!
Sing we a litany,—
Sing for poor maiden-hearts broken and weary;
Domine, Domine!
Sing we a litany,
Wail we and weep we a wild Miserere!
Scheme | ababcxcx adadaaab xebexfxf gbgbxhxh ijxjidxa xklkxlmml AAaAAa |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (42%) |
Metre | 11011 11110 100100 11110 101101 10111 111101 01110 11011 01110 110111 01110 111101 0111 111111 11110 110111 0111 1101010 011 101111 0101 01111 1111 100101 10110 100101 10110 110101 10010 110101 1101 10110 10110 10101011 10010 11010 1001 11011 10010 110101 1001 11011 1001 110101 1011 1111 11011 0111 010010 110100 11110110010 010010 110100 11011011 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,254 |
Words | 236 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 6 |
Lines Amount | 55 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 143 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:11 min read
- 44 Views
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"The Willow-Tree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41070/the-willow-tree>.
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