Analysis of Sonnet XI: The Love-Letter
Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828 (London) – 1882 (Birchington-on-Sea)
Warmed by her hand and shadowed by her hair
As close she leaned and poured her heart through thee,
Whereof the articulate throbs accompany
The smooth black stream that makes thy whiteness fair,—
Sweet fluttering sheet, even of her breath aware,—
Oh let thy silent song disclose to me
That soul wherewith her lips and eyes agree
Like married music in Love's answering air.
Fain had I watched her when, at some fond thought,
Her bosom to the writing closelier press'd,
And her breast's secrets peered into her breast;
When, through eyes raised an instant, her soul sought
My soul, and from the sudden confluence caught
The words that made her love the loveliest.
Scheme | ABBAABBACDDCEC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010101 1111010111 1001010100 0111111101 110011010101 1111010111 111010101 11010011001 1111011111 010101011 0011010101 1111110011 11010101001 01110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 659 |
Words | 118 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 529 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 114 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 16, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 120 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Sonnet XI: The Love-Letter" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7669/sonnet-xi%3A--the-love-letter>.
Discuss this Dante Gabriel Rossetti 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