Analysis of The blonde maiden

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 1832 (Kvikne) – 1910 (Paris)



Though
she
depart, a vision flitting,
If I these thoughts in words exhale:
I love you, you blonde maiden, sitting
Within your pure white beauty's veil.
I love you for your blue eyes dreaming,
Like moonlight moving over snow,
And 'mid the far-off forests beaming
On something hid I may not know.

I love this forehead's fair perfection
Because it stands so starry-clear,
In flood of thought sees its reflection
And wonders at the image near.
I love these locks in riot risen
Against the hair-net's busy bands;
To free them from their pretty prison
Their sylphs entice my eyes and hands.

I love this figure's supple swinging
In rhythm of its bridal song,
Of strength and life-joy daily singing
With youthful yearnings deep and long.
I love this foot so lightly bearing
The glory of sure victory
Through youth's domain of merry daring
To meet first-love that hers shall be.

I love these hands, these lips enchanting,
With them the God of love's allied,
With them the apple-prize is granting,
But guards them, too, lest aught betide.
I love you and must say it ever,
Although you heed not what you've heard,
But flee and answer: maidens never
May put their trust in poet's word.


Scheme ABCDCDCACA EFEFEGEG CHCHCBCB CICIJKJK
Poetic Form
Metre 1 1 0101010 11110101 111111010 0111111 111111110 1110101 010111010 11011111 11111010 01111101 011111010 01010101 111101010 01011101 111111010 11011101 111101010 01011101 110111010 11010101 111111010 01011100 110111010 11111011 111111010 11011101 110101110 11111101 111011110 1111111 110101010 11110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,149
Words 208
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 10, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 34
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 232
Words per stanza (avg) 52
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 03, 2023

1:04 min read
111

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit", becoming the first Norwegian Nobel laureate. Bjørnson is considered to be one of The Four Greats (De Fire Store) among Norwegian writers, the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland. Bjørnson is also celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet". more…

All Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson poems | Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Books

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    Lewis Carroll wrote: "You are old father William, the young man said..."
    A "and you're going to die tonight"
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    D "and your hair has become very white"