Analysis of LXXII The Choice, II

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828 (London) – 1882 (Birchington-on-Sea)



Watch thou and fear; to-morrow thou shalt die.
         Or art thou sure thou shalt have time for death?
         Is not the day which God's word promiseth
     To come man knows not when? In yonder sky
     Now while we speak, the sun speeds forth: can I
         Or thou assure him of his goal? God's breath
         Even at this moment haply quickeneth
     The air to a flame; till spirits, always nigh

Though screen'd and hid, shall walk the daylight here.
       And dost thou prate of all that man shall do?
           Canst thou, who hast but plagues, presume to be
           Glad in his gladness that comes after thee?
       Will his strength slay thy worm in Hell? Go to:
   Cover thy countenance, and watch, and fear.


Scheme ABBAABBA XCDDCX
Poetic Form
Metre 1101110111 1111111111 11011111 1111110101 1111011111 1101111111 10111011 0110111011 110111011 0111111111 1111110111 101111101 1111110111 1011000101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 730
Words 124
Sentences 10
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 248
Words per stanza (avg) 61
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
111

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. more…

All Dante Gabriel Rossetti poems | Dante Gabriel Rossetti Books

1 fan

Discuss this Dante Gabriel Rossetti poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "LXXII The Choice, II" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7571/lxxii-the-choice%2C-ii>.

    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.
    1
    day
    19
    hours
    6
    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?

    »
    "He was like a rainy Tuesday" is an example of ________.
    A analogy
    B metaphor
    C idiom
    D simile