Analysis of To The Small Celandine
William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)
PANSIES, lilies, kingcups, daisies,
Let them live upon their praises;
Long as there's a sun that sets,
Primroses will have their glory;
Long as there are violets,
They will have a place in story:
There's a flower that shall be mine,
'Tis the little Celandine.
Eyes of some men travel far
For the finding of a star;
Up and down the heavens they go,
Men that keep a mighty rout!
I'm as great as they, I trow,
Since the day I found thee out,
Little Flower!--I'll make a stir,
Like a sage astronomer.
Modest, yet withal an Elf
Bold, and lavish of thyself;
Since we needs must first have met
I have seen thee, high and low,
Thirty years or more, and yet
'Twas a face I did not know;
Thou hast now, go where I may,
Fifty greetings in a day.
Ere a leaf is on a bush,
In the time before the thrush
Has a thought about her nest,
Thou wilt come with half a call,
Spreading out thy glossy breast
Like a careless Prodigal;
Telling tales about the sun,
When we've little warmth, or none.
Poets, vain men in their mood!
Travel with the multitude:
Never heed them; I aver
That they all are wanton wooers;
But the thrifty cottager,
Who stirs little out of doors,
Joys to spy thee near her home;
Spring is coming, Thou art come!
Comfort have thou of thy merit,
Kindly, unassuming Spirit!
Careless of thy neighbourhood,
Thou dost show thy pleasant face
On the moor, and in the wood,
In the lane;--there's not a place,
Howsoever mean it be,
But 'tis good enough for thee.
Ill befall the yellow flowers,
Children of the flaring hours!
Buttercups, that will be seen,
Whether we will see or no;
Others, too, of lofty mien;
They have done as worldlings do,
Taken praise that should be thine,
Little, humble Celandine!
Prophet of delight and mirth,
Ill-requited upon earth;
Herald of a mighty band,
Of a joyous train ensuing,
Serving at my heart's command,
Tasks that are no tasks renewing,
I will sing, as doth behove,
Hymns in praise of what I love!
Scheme | AXXBXBCC DDEFEFGG HHIEIEJJ XXKXKXLL MMGABXXX NNFOXOBB PPQEQXCC RRSTSTHX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1010110 11101110 1110111 1011110 1111100 11101010 10101111 101010 1111101 1010101 10101011 1110101 1111111 1011111 10101101 1010100 101111 101011 1111111 1111101 1011101 1011111 1111111 1010001 1011101 0010101 1010101 1111101 1011101 1010100 1010101 1110111 1011011 101010 1011110 1111101 10101 1110111 1111101 1110111 10111110 1001010 10111 1111101 1010001 0011101 1111 1110111 10101010 10101010 101111 1011111 1011101 111111 1011111 101010 1010101 11011 1010101 10101100 1011101 11111010 111111 1011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,878 |
Words | 361 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 185 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 29, 2023
- 1:50 min read
- 227 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"To The Small Celandine" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/42455/to-the-small-celandine>.
Discuss this William Wordsworth poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In