Analysis of Sonnet XXV: Winged Hours

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



Each hour until we meet is as a bird
That wings from far his gradual way along
The rustling covert of my soul,—his song
Still loudlier trilled through leaves more deeply stirr'd:
But at the hour of meeting, a clear word
Is every note he sings, in Love's own tongue;
Yet, Love, thou know'st the sweet strain suffers wrong
Full oft through our contending joys unheard.
What of that hour at last, when for her sake
No wing may fly to me nor song may flow;
When, wandering round my life unleaved, I know
The bloodied feathers scattered in the brake,
And think how she, far from me, with like eyes
Sees through the untuneful bough the wingless skies?


Scheme ABBAACBADEEDFF
Poetic Form
Metre 11001111101 11111100101 0101011111 111111101 11010110011 11001110111 11111011101 11110010101 11110111101 1111111111 1100111111 0101010001 0111111111 11011011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 642
Words 122
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 507
Words per stanza (avg) 119
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
128

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

    "Sonnet XXV: Winged Hours" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7692/sonnet-xxv%3A--winged-hours>.

    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
    18
    hours
    24
    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?

    »
    About how many poems did Emily Dickinson write?
    A 2,500
    B 500
    C 750
    D 1,800