Analysis of To One In Paradise

Edgar Allan Poe 1809 (Boston) – 1849 (Baltimore)



Thou wast all that to me, love,
         For which my soul did pine-
       A green isle in the sea, love,
         A fountain and a shrine,
       All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
         And all the flowers were mine.

Ah, dream too bright to last!
         Ah, starry Hope! that didst arise
       But to be overcast!
         A voice from out the Future cries,
       'On! on!'- but o'er the Past
         (Dim gulf!) my spirit hovering lies
       Mute, motionless, aghast!

For, alas! alas! me
         For me the light of Life is over!
         'No more- no more- no more-'
       (Such language holds the solemn sea
         To the sands upon the shore)
       Shall bloom the thunder-blasted tree
         Or the stricken eagle soar!

And all my days are trances,
         And all my nightly dreams
       Are where thy grey eye glances,
         And where thy footstep gleams-
       In what ethereal dances,
         By what eternal streams.


Scheme ABABCB DEDEDED FXGFGFG CHXHXH
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111 111111 0110011 010001 111101010 0101001 111111 11011101 11110 01110101 1111001 111101001 110001 101011 110111110 111111 11010101 1010101 11010101 1010101 011111 011101 1111110 01111 01010010 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 965
Words 150
Sentences 14
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 7, 7, 6
Lines Amount 26
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 148
Words per stanza (avg) 37
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 27, 2023

45 sec read
201

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. more…

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