Analysis of April

Edward Thomas 1878 (London Borough of Lambeth) – 1917 (Pas-de-Calais)



The sweetest thing, I thought
At one time, between earth and heaven
Was the first smile
When mist has been forgiven
And the sun has stolen out,
Peered, and resolved to shine at seven
On dabbled lengthening grasses,
Thick primroses and early leaves uneven,
When earth's breath, warm and humid, far surpasses
The richest oven's, and loudly rings 'cuckoo'
And sharply the nightingale's 'tsoo, tsoo, tsoo, tsoo':
To say 'God bless it' was all that I could do.

But now I know one sweeter
By far since the day Emily
Turned weeping back
To me, still happy me,
To ask forgiveness, -
Yet smiled with half a certainty
To be forgiven, - for what
She had never done; I knew not what it might be,
Nor could she tell me, having now forgot,
By rapture carried with me past all care
As to an isle in April lovelier
Than April's self. 'God bless you' I said to her.


Scheme XAXAXABAXCBC DEXEXEXEXXDD
Poetic Form
Metre 010111 111011010 1011 1111010 0011101 100111110 11010010 1100101010 11110101010 010101011 010011111 11111111111 1111110 11101100 1101 111101 11010 11110100 1101011 111011111111 1111110101 1101011111 11110101 11011111110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 833
Words 160
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 12, 12
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 327
Words per stanza (avg) 79
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
58

Edward Thomas

Philip Edward Thomas was an Anglo-Welsh poet and essayist. more…

All Edward Thomas poems | Edward Thomas Books

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