Analysis of Fontaine, Je Ne Boirai Pas De Ton Eau!
Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892 (Rockland) – 1950 (Austerlitz)
I know I might have lived in such a way
As to have suffered only pain:
Loving not man nor dog;
Not money, even; feeling
Toothache perhaps, but never more than an hour away
From skill and novocaine;
Making no contacts, dealing with life through Agents, drinking
one cocktail, betting two dollars, wearing raincoats in the
rain.
Betrayed at length by no one but the fog
Whispering to the wing of the plane.
"Fountain," I have cried to that unbubbling well, "I will not
drink of thy water!" Yet I thirst
For a mouthful of—not to swallow, only to rinse my mouth in
—peace.
And while the eyes of the past condemn,
The eyes of the present narrow into assignation. And—
worst—
The young are so old, they are born with their fingers crossed;
I shall get no help from them.
Scheme | ABXCABCXBXB XDXXEXDXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1111110101 11110101 101111 1101010 1011101111001 1101 1011101111010 111011010100 1 0111111101 100101101 101111111111 11110111 101111101011110 1 010110101 011010100110 1 0111111111101 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 785 |
Words | 145 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 9 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 297 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 31, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 124 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Fontaine, Je Ne Boirai Pas De Ton Eau!" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9372/fontaine%2C-je-ne-boirai-pas-de-ton-eau%21>.
Discuss this Edna St. Vincent Millay 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