Analysis of Star-Gazers
William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)
WHAT crowd is this? what have we here! we must not pass it by;
A Telescope upon its frame, and pointed to the sky:
Long is it as a barber's pole, or mast of little boat,
Some little pleasure-skiff, that doth on Thames's waters float.
The Showman chooses well his place, 'tis Leicester's busy Square;
And is as happy in his night, for the heavens are blue and fair;
Calm, though impatient, is the crowd; each stands ready with the fee,
And envies him that's looking;--what an insight must it be!
Yet, Showman, where can lie the cause? Shall thy Implement have blame,
A boaster, that when he is tried, fails, and is put to shame?
Or is it good as others are, and be their eyes in fault?
Their eyes, or minds? or, finally, is yon resplendent vault?
Is nothing of that radiant pomp so good as we have here?
Or gives a thing but small delight that never can be dear?
The silver moon with all her vales, and hills of mightiest fame,
Doth she betray us when they're seen? or are they but a name?
Or is it rather that Conceit rapacious is and strong,
And bounty never yields so much but it seems to do her wrong?
Or is it, that when human Souls a journey long have had
And are returned into themselves, they cannot but be sad?
Or must we be constrained to think that these Spectators rude,
Poor in estate, of manners base, men of the multitude,
Have souls which never yet have risen, and therefore prostrate lie?
No, no, this cannot be;--men thirst for power and majesty!
Does, then, a deep and earnest thought the blissful mind employ
Of him who gazes, or has gazed? a grave and steady joy,
That doth reject all show of pride, admits no outward sign,
Because not of this noisy world, but silent and divine!
Whatever be the cause, 'tis sure that they who pry and pore
Seem to meet with little gain, seem less happy than before:
One after One they take their turn, nor have I one espied
That doth not slackly go away, as if dissatisfied.
Scheme | AABB CCDD EEFF XXEE GGHH IIAD JJKK LLBX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 11111111111111 0100111010101 11110101111101 1101011111101 0101011111101 0111001110101101 110101011110101 011110111111 110111011110011 0111111101111 11111101011101 11111100110101 110111001111111 11011101110111 010111010111001 11011111111101 11110101010101 010101111111101 11111101010111 01010101110111 11110111111001 1001110111010 11110111001101 111101111100100 11010101010101 11110111010101 11011111011101 01111101110001 1010111111101 11111011110101 1101111111111 111110111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 1,908 |
Words | 367 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 46 |
Words per line (avg) | 11 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 186 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 13, 2023
- 1:51 min read
- 104 Views
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"Star-Gazers" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/42331/star-gazers>.
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