Analysis of Be Still, My Soul, Be Still



Be still, my soul, be still; the arms you bear are brittle,
Earth and high heaven are fixt of old and founded strong.
Think rather,-- call to thought, if now you grieve a little,
The days when we had rest, O soul, for they were long.

Men loved unkindness then, but lightless in the quarry
I slept and saw not; tears fell down, I did not mourn;
Sweat ran and blood sprang out and I was never sorry:
Then it was well with me, in days ere I was born.

Now, and I muse for why and never find the reason,
I pace the earth, and drink the air, and feel the sun.
Be still, be still, my soul; it is but for a season:
Let us endure an hour and see injustice done.

Ay, look: high heaven and earth ail from the prime foundation;
All thoughts to rive the heart are here, and all are vain:
Horror and scorn and hate and fear and indignation--
Oh why did I awake? when shall I sleep again?


Scheme ABAB CDCD EEEE EXEX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 1111110111110 1011011110101 1101111111010 011111111101 1111110010 110111111111 1101110111010 111111011111 1011110101010 110101010101 1111111111010 1101110010101 11110011101010 111101110111 100101010010 111101111101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 881
Words 179
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 41
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 165
Words per stanza (avg) 44
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

53 sec read
140

Alfred Edward Housman

Alfred Edward Housman, usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.  more…

All Alfred Edward Housman poems | Alfred Edward Housman Books

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