Analysis of Wild Swans
Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892 (Rockland) – 1950 (Austerlitz)
I looked in my heart while the wild swans went over.
And what did I see I had not seen before?
Only a question less or a question more:
Nothing to match the flight of wild birds flying.
Tiresome heart, forever living and dying,
House without air, I leave you and lock your door.
Wild swans, come over the town, come over
The town again, trailing your legs and crying!
| Scheme | ABBCCBAC |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | |
| Metre | 110111011110 01111111101 10010110101 10110111110 100101010010 10111110111 1111001110 01011011010 |
| Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
| Characters | 368 |
| Words | 72 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 8 |
| Lines Amount | 8 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
| Words per line (avg) | 9 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 286 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 70 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 21 sec read
- 353 Views
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"Wild Swans" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9501/wild-swans>.
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