Analysis of The Watcher on the Tower
Madison Julius Cawein 1865 ( Louisville, Kentucky) – 1914 ( Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky)
I
The Voice of a Man
WHAT of the Night, O Watcher?
The Voice of a Woman
Yea, what of it?
A star has risen; and a wind blows strong.
Voice of the Man
The Night is dark.
But God is there above it.
Voice of the Woman
The Night is dark; the Night is dark and long.
II
Voice of the Man
What of the Night, O Watcher?
Voice of the Woman
Night of sorrow!
Out of the East there comes a sound, like song.
Voice of the Man
The Night is dark.
Have courage! There’s To-morrow!
Voice of the Woman
The Night is dark; the Night is dark and long.
III
Voice of the Man
What of the Night, O Watcher?
Voice of the Woman
Is it other?
I see a gleam; a thorn of light; a thong.
Voice of the Man
The Night is dark.
The Morning comes, my Brother.
Voice of the Woman
The Night is dark; the Night is dark and long.
IV
Voice of the Man
What now, what now, O Watcher?
Red as slaughter
The Darkness dies. The Light comes swift and strong.
Voice of the Man
The Night was long.—What sayest thou, my Daughter?
Voice of the Woman
The Night was dark; the Night was dark and long.
| Scheme | ab C d e f B G e D F aB C D h f B G h D F aB C D c f B G c D F xB c cf B c D f |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 1 01101 1101110 011010 1111 0111000111 1101 0111 1111011 11010 0111011101 1 1101 1101110 11010 1110 1101110111 1101 0111 1101110 11010 0111011101 1 1101 1101110 11010 1110 1101011101 1101 0111 0101110 11010 0111011101 1 1101 1111110 1110 0101011101 1101 0111111110 11010 0111011101 |
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 1,114 |
| Words | 233 |
| Sentences | 26 |
| Stanzas | 37 |
| Stanza Lengths | 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
| Lines Amount | 42 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 19 |
| Words per line (avg) | 5 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 21 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 6 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
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"The Watcher on the Tower" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/43265/the-watcher-on-the-tower>.
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