Analysis of The Mirror
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
'Alas!' said the devil, said he to me
And his swart face drooped with care
'Life is a liar, a cheat,' said he
'And the end of it all - despair.
Why mourn you here, poor pawn of the Fates?
The way lies ready: the hemlock waits.
And I'll give you a toast ere you seek release:
'To Death, the gentleman, crowned with peace'!'
'Have done, smart devil!' I made reply.
'Have done with your air of gloom.
The world seemed dreary for such as I
Ere you came into the room.
I was ready, I own, for the crowning sin,
But your foolish babbling makes me grin.
Yet the poisoned cup might I e'en now quaff;
But how can I drink when I want to laugh?
'Poor fool!' moaned the devil. 'Vain words you lisp,
Dull dupe of an ancient lie.
What seek you here but a will-o'-the-wisp,
Mocking you till you die?
For the world's gone mad and the nations rave.
Choose! An ugly dream, or a peaceful grave.
You shall thirst, you shall starve while the earth you roam.
Ah, pick up the dagger and drive it home.'
'Oh, foolish devil!' I made reply.
'Thus to defeat you end,
With your woeful visage and wistful eye:
I could greet you now as a friend.
For, as in a mirror, I now have seen
The fear-crazed fool that I might have been.
Come; tell me some more of this cheerless earth.'
But the devil was gone; and I shrieked with mirth.
Scheme | ABABCCDD EFEFGGHH IEIEHHJJ EKEKXGLL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0110101111 0111111 110100111 00111101 111111101 01110011 01110111101 110100111 111101101 1111111 011101111 1110101 11101110101 1110100111 10101111111 1111111111 1110101111 1111101 1111101101 101111 1011100101 1110110101 11111110111 1110100111 110101101 110111 1110100101 11111101 1100101111 011111111 111111111 10101101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,279 |
Words | 263 |
Sentences | 27 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 242 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 64 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 95 Views
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"The Mirror" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6730/the-mirror>.
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