Analysis of Of Coloured Glass
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
I am very moved by one detail
in the coronation at Vlachernai of John Kantakuzinos
and Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.
Because they had only a few precious stones
(our afflicted empire was extremely poor)
they wore artificial ones: numerous pieces of glass,
red, green, or blue. I find
nothing humiliating or undignified
in those little pieces of colored glass.
On the contrary, they seem
a sad protest against
the unjust misfortune of the couple being crowned,
symbols of what they deserved to have,
of what surely it was right that they should have
at their coronation—a Lord John Kantakuzinos,
a Lady Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.
Scheme | ABCBDBEFBGHIJJBC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111011101 0001011111 0110111 01111001101 1001010010101 1101011001011 111111 1001001010 0110101101 1010011 01101 0010101010101 101110111 11101111111 110100111 010110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 638 |
Words | 109 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 520 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 107 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 32 sec read
- 75 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Of Coloured Glass" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7198/of-coloured-glass>.
Discuss this Constantine P. Cavafy 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