Analysis of Prelude to Space

Clive Staples Lewis 1898 (Clive Staples Lewis Belfast) – 1963 (Oxford)



So Man, grown vigorous now,
     Holds himself ripe to breed,
     Daily devises how
     To ejaculate his seed
     And boldly fertilize
The black womb of the unconsenting skies.

Some now alive expect
     (I am told) to see the large,
     Steel member grow erect,
     Turgid with the fierce charge
     Of our whole planet's skill,
Courage, wealth, knowledge, concentrated will,

Straining with lust to stamp
     Our likeness on the abyss-
     Bombs, gallows, Belsen camp,
     Pox, polio, Thais' kiss
     Or Judas, Moloch's fires
And Torquemada's (sons resemble sires).

Shall we, when the grim shape
     Roars upward, dance and sing?
     Yes: if we honour rape,
     If we take pride to Ring
     So bountifully on space
The sperm of our long woes, our large disgrace.


Scheme ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHXX IJIJKK
Poetic Form
Metre 1111001 101111 100101 101011 01010 0111011 110101 1111101 110101 101011 1101101 101101001 101111 10101001 11011 11011 110110 0110101 111011 110101 11111 111111 1111 011101110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 798
Words 123
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 136
Words per stanza (avg) 30
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
92

Clive Staples Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis was a British novelist, poet, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian, broadcaster, lecturer, and Christian apologist. He held academic positions at both Oxford University and Cambridge University. more…

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