Spells and Incantations
Wilfred Owen 1893 (Oswestry) – 1918 (Sambre–Oise Canal)
A vague pearl, a wan pearl
You showed me once; I peered through far-gone winters
Until my mind was fog-bound in that gem.
Blue diamonds, cold diamonds
You shook before me, so that out of them
Glittered and glowed vast diamond dawns of spring.
Tiger-eyed rubies, wrathful rubies
You rolled. I watched their hot hearts fling
Flames from each glaring summer of my life.
Quiet amber, mellow amber
You lifted; and behold the whole air rife
With evening, and the auburn autumn cloud.
But pale skin, your pearl skin
Show this to me, and I shall have surprise
Of every snow-lit dawn before it break.
But clear eyes, your fresh eyes
Open; that I may laugh, and lightly take
All air of early April in one hour.
But brown curls, O shadow me with curls,
Full of September mist, half-gleam, half-glower,
And I shall roam warm nights in lands far south.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 103 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXA XAB XBC DCX XEF EFD XDX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 827 |
Words | 153 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 |
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"Spells and Incantations" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/38539/spells-and-incantations>.
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