Analysis of De Profundis
Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)
NOW I am cast into the serpent pit
And, catching difficult breath
From the writhing, loathsome, ceaseless stir of it,
The venomous whispers of curling, clasping Death,
I lift my soul out of the pit to Thee
And reaching with my soul to where Thou art
Look down, seeing with free heart
The beast God gave my soul for company
Lie with companions fit;
And bid, with a good will,
The serpent-fangs of ill
Take their foul fill
Of the foul fell it wore.
Though a thousand serpent heads were raised to slay,
A thousand twisting coils writhed where it lay,
There lies the beast, there let it lie for me
And agonize and rave;
For Thou has raised my soul, Thy soul, to Thee!
Thy soul, dear Lord, Thou hast been strong to save!
Scheme | ABABCDDCAEEEFGGCHCH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010101 0101001 10101010111 01001011011 1111110111 0101111111 1110111 0111111100 110101 011011 010111 1111 101111 10101010111 0101011111 1101111111 01001 1111111111 1111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 705 |
Words | 137 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 19 |
Lines Amount | 19 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 559 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 135 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 48 Views
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"De Profundis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8807/de-profundis>.
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