Analysis of A Dead Rose
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
O Rose! who dares to name thee?
No longer roseate now, nor soft, nor sweet;
But pale, and hard, and dry, as stubble-wheat,---
Kept seven years in a drawer---thy titles shame thee.
The breeze that used to blow thee
Between the hedgerow thorns, and take away
An odour up the lane to last all day,---
If breathing now,---unsweetened would forego thee.
The sun that used to smite thee,
And mix his glory in thy gorgeous urn,
Till beam appeared to bloom, and flower to burn,---
If shining now,---with not a hue would light thee.
The dew that used to wet thee,
And, white first, grow incarnadined, because
It lay upon thee where the crimson was,---
If dropping now,---would darken where it met thee.
The fly that lit upon thee,
To stretch the tendrils of its tiny feet,
Along thy leaf's pure edges, after heat,---
If lighting now,---would coldly overrun thee.
The bee that once did suck thee,
And build thy perfumed ambers up his hive,
And swoon in thee for joy, till scarce alive,---
If passing now,---would blindly overlook thee.
The heart doth recognise thee,
Alone, alone! The heart doth smell thee sweet,
Doth view thee fair, doth judge thee most complete,---
Though seeing now those changes that disguise thee.
Yes, and the heart doth owe thee
More love, dead rose! than to such roses bold
As Julia wears at dances, smiling cold!---
Lie still upon this heart---which breaks below thee!
Scheme | ABBA ACCA ADDA AXXA ABBA AEEA ABBA AFFA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (88%) |
Metre | 1111111 11010011111 1101011101 110100111011 0111111 010110101 111011111 110111011 0111111 0111001101 11011101011 11011101111 0111111 0111101 1101110101 11011101111 0111011 110111101 0111110101 1101110101 0111111 0110110111 0101111101 1101110101 01111 0101011111 1111111101 11011101011 1001111 1111111101 1101110101 11011111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,437 |
Words | 256 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 131 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 736 Views
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"A Dead Rose" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10209/a-dead-rose>.
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