Analysis of When First I Came Here
Edward Thomas 1878 (London Borough of Lambeth) – 1917 (Pas-de-Calais)
WHEN first I came here I had hope,
Hope for I knew not what. Fast beat
My heart at the sight of the tall slope
Or grass and yews, as if my feet
Only by scaling its steps of chalk
Would see something no other hill
Ever disclosed. And now I walk
Down it the last time. Never will
My heart beat so again at sight
Of any hill although as fair
And loftier. For infinite
The change, late unperceived, this year,
The twelfth, suddenly, shows me plain.
Hope now,--not health nor cheerfulness,
Since they can come and go again,
As often one brief hour witnesses,--
Just hope has gone forever. Perhaps
I may love other hills yet more
Than this: the future and the maps
Hide something I was waiting for.
One thing I know, that love with chance
And use and time and necessity
Will grow, and louder the heart's dance
At parting than at meeting be.
Scheme | ABAB XCXC XXXX XDXD DEDE DFDF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (83%) |
Metre | 11111111 11111111 111011011 11011111 101101111 11101101 10010111 11011101 11110111 1101111 01001100 011111 01100111 111111 11110101 1101110100 111101001 11110111 11010001 11011101 11111111 010100100 11010011 11011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 842 |
Words | 163 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 108 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 101 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"When First I Came Here" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9910/when-first-i-came-here>.
Discuss this Edward Thomas 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