Analysis of Ghosts of Dreams
William Herbert Carruth 1859 ( Osawatomie, Kansas) – 1924 (U.S.A)
We are all of us dreamers of dreams,
On visions our childhood is fed;
And the heart of a child is unhaunted, it seems,
By ghosts of dreams that are dead.
From childhood to youth's but a span,
And the years of our life are soon sped;
But the youth is no longer a youth, but a man,
When the first of his dreams is dead.
'Tis a cup of wormwood and gall,
When the doom of a great man is said;
And the best of a man is under a pall
When the best of his dreams is dead.
He may live on by compact and plan
When the fine bloom of living is shed,
But God pity the little that's left of a man
When most of his dreams are dead.
Let him show a brave face if he can;
Let him woo fame and fortune instead;
Yet there's not much to do, but to bury a man
When the last of his dreams is dead.
Scheme | ABAB CBCB XBXB CBCB CBCB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 111111011 11010111 0011011111 1111111 1111101 0011101111 101111001101 10111111 1011101 101101111 00110111001 10111111 111111001 101111011 111001011101 1111111 111011111 111101001 111111111001 10111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 763 |
Words | 170 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 117 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 28, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 82 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Ghosts of Dreams" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/43588/ghosts-of-dreams>.
Discuss this William Herbert Carruth 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