Analysis of The Patient's Sweater

Boris Pasternak 1890 (Moscow) – 1960 (Peredelkino)



A life of its own and a long one is led
By this penguin, with nothing to do with the breast-
The wingless pullover, the patient's old vest;
Now pass it some warmth, move the lamp to the bed.

It dreams of the skiing; in darkness it poured
From shaftbows, from harness, from bodies; it seemed
That Christmas itself also sweated and snored;
The walking, the riding-all squeaked and all steamed.

A homestead, and horror and bareness beside,
Cut-glass in the sideboards, and carpets and chests;
The house was inflamed; this attracted the fence;
The lights swam in pleurisy, seen from outside.

Consumed by the sky, bloated shrubs on the way
Were white as a scare and had ice in their looks.
The blaze from the kitchen laid down by the sleigh
On the snow the enormous hands of the cooks.


Scheme ABBA XCAC DXXD EFEF
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 01111001111 111011011101 01101011 11111101101 11101001011 1111011011 11001101001 01001011011 010100101 1100101001 01101101001 01101001111 01101101101 01101011011 01101011101 10100101101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 773
Words 143
Sentences 6
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 38
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 153
Words per stanza (avg) 35
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 22, 2023

43 sec read
100

Boris Pasternak

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator. more…

All Boris Pasternak poems | Boris Pasternak Books

3 fans

Discuss this Boris Pasternak poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Patient's Sweater" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/4550/the-patient%27s-sweater>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    6
    hours
    3
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "A Fairy Song"?
    A William Shakespeare
    B William Blake
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Geoffrey Chaucer