Analysis of The Coliseum
Edgar Allan Poe 1809 (Boston) – 1849 (Baltimore)
Type of the antique Rome! Rich reliquary
Of lofty contemplation left to Time
By buried centuries of pomp and power!
At length- at length- after so many days
Of weary pilgrimage and burning thirst,
(Thirst for the springs of lore that in thee lie,)
I kneel, an altered and an humble man,
Amid thy shadows, and so drink within
My very soul thy grandeur, gloom, and glory!
Vastness! and Age! and Memories of Eld!
Silence! and Desolation! and dim Night!
I feel ye now- I feel ye in your strength-
O spells more sure than e'er Judaean king
Taught in the gardens of Gethsemane!
O charms more potent than the rapt Chaldee
Ever drew down from out the quiet stars!
Here, where a hero fell, a column falls!
Here, where the mimic eagle glared in gold,
A midnight vigil holds the swarthy bat!
Here, where the dames of Rome their gilded hair
Waved to the wind, now wave the reed and thistle!
Here, where on golden throne the monarch lolled,
Glides, spectre-like, unto his marble home,
Lit by the wan light of the horned moon,
The swift and silent lizard of the stones!
But stay! these walls- these ivy-clad arcades-
These moldering plinths- these sad and blackened shafts-
These vague entablatures- this crumbling frieze-
These shattered cornices- this wreck- this ruin-
These stones- alas! these grey stones- are they all-
All of the famed, and the colossal left
By the corrosive Hours to Fate and me?
'Not all'- the Echoes answer me- 'not all!
Prophetic sounds and loud, arise forever
From us, and from all Ruin, unto the wise,
As melody from Memnon to the Sun.
We rule the hearts of mightiest men- we rule
With a despotic sway all giant minds.
We are not impotent- we pallid stones.
Not all our power is gone- not all our fame-
Not all the magic of our high renown-
Not all the wonder that encircles us-
Not all the mysteries that in us lie-
Not all the memories that hang upon
And cling around about us as a garment,
Clothing us in a robe of more than glory.'
Scheme | AXAXBCDXA BXXXDBX XXXAXBXXE XXXFGXX GAXFXXEXXXCXXA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11001111 110010111 11010011010 1111101101 1101000101 1101111011 1111001101 011101101 11011011010 1001010011 100010011 1111111011 111111011 1001011 111101011 1011110101 1101010101 1101010101 011010101 1101111101 11011101010 111101011 1101101101 110111011 0101010101 1111110101 111110101 11111001 110111110 1101111111 1101000101 10010101101 1101010111 01010101010 11011101001 110011101 11011100111 1001011101 1111001101 1110101111101 11010110101 11010111 1101001011 1101001101 01010111010 10100111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,228 |
Words | 360 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 7, 9, 7, 14 |
Lines Amount | 46 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 303 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 20, 2023
- 1:48 min read
- 236 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Coliseum" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8465/the-coliseum>.
Discuss this Edgar Allan Poe 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