Analysis of Birds' Nests
Edward Thomas 1878 (London Borough of Lambeth) – 1917 (Pas-de-Calais)
he summer nests uncovered by autumn wind,
Some torn, others dislodged, all dark,
Everyone sees them: low or high in tree,
Or hedge, or single bush, they hang like a mark.
Since there's no need of eyes to see them with
I cannot help a little shame
That I missed most, even at eye's level, till
The leaves blew off and made the seeing no game.
'Tis a light pang. I like to see the nests
Still in their places, now first known,
At home and by far roads. Boys knew them not,
Whatever jays and squirrels may have done.
And most I like the winter nests deep-hid
That leaves and berries fell into:
Once a dormouse dined there on hazel-nuts,
And grass and goose-grass seeds found soil and grew.
Scheme | XAXA XBXB XXXX XCXC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 11010101101 11100111 101111101 11110111101 1111111111 11010101 11111011101 01110101011 1011111101 10110111 1101111111 101010111 0111010111 11010101 101111101 0101111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 679 |
Words | 132 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 133 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 214 Views
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"Birds' Nests" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9833/birds%27-nests>.
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