Analysis of The Glory

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



The glory of the beauty of the morning, -
The cuckoo crying over the untouched dew;
The blackbird that has found it, and the dove
That tempts me on to something sweeter than love;
White clouds ranged even and fair as new-mown hay;
The heat, the stir, the sublime vacancy
Of sky and meadow and forest and my own heart: -
The glory invites me, yet it leaves me scorning
All I can ever do, all I can be,
Beside the lovely of motion, shape, and hue,
The happiness I fancy fit to dwell
In beauty's presence. Shall I now this day
Begin to seek as far as heaven, as hell,
Wisdom or strength to match this beauty, start
And tread the pale dust pitted with small dark drops,
In hope to find whatever it is I seek,
Hearkening to short-lived happy-seeming things
That we know naught of, in the hazel copse?
Or must I be content with discontent
As larks and swallows are perhaps with wings?
And shall I ask at the day's end once more
What beauty is, and what I can have meant
By happiness? And shall I let all go,
Glad, weary, or both? Or shall I perhaps know
That I was happy oft and oft before,
Awhile forgetting how I am fast pent,
How dreary-swift, with naught to travel to,
Is Time? I cannot bite the day to the core.


Scheme ABCCDEFAEBGDGFHIJEKJLKMMLKBL
Poetic Form
Metre 01010101010 0110100011 0101111001 11111101011 11110011111 0101001100 11010100111 01001111111 1111011111 01010110101 0100110111 011011111 01111111011 1011111101 01011101111 0111101111 111110101 1111100101 1111101001 1101010111 0111101111 1101011111 1100011111 11011111011 1111010101 0101011111 1101111101 11110101101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,205
Words 237
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 28
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 933
Words per stanza (avg) 235
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

1:11 min read
115

Edward Thomas

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

All Edward Thomas poems | Edward Thomas Books

2 fans

Discuss this Edward Thomas poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Glory" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9890/the-glory>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    14
    hours
    18
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    How many syllables an Iambic Pentameter line must have?
    A 10
    B 12
    C 3
    D 20