Analysis of poem #23

David Plantinga 1972 (Sherbrooke)



One of their neighbors is afflicted
With a fell spirit, lost, and doomed
To roam alone among the tombs,
The spirit’s fierce, but some have tricked it.      
Citizens have bound the madman tight,
Caught him in fetters or in chains,
But strength no ligature contains
Breaks them like braided aconite.   
And after this, they let him be
Because his might has always snapped
Twine tying wrists, but flesh has trapped
Unspeakable malignancy.


Scheme ABCDEFFAGHHG
Poetic Form
Metre 111101010 10110101 11010101 010111111 10011011 11010101 111101 111101 01011111 0111111 11011111 01000100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 434
Words 72
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 344
Words per stanza (avg) 72
Font size:
 

Submitted by DavidPlantinga on August 30, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

21 sec read
4

Discuss this David Plantinga poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "poem #23" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/108162/poem-%2323>.

    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!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    23
    days
    2
    hours
    23
    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?

    »
    Who is considered to be the greatest poet of Russia’s golden age?
    A Alexander Pushkin
    B Leo Tolstoy
    C Charles Baudelaire
    D Vladimir Mayakovsky