Analysis of Idyl
Emma Lazarus 1849 (New York City) – 1887 (New York City)
The swallows made twitter incessant,
The thrushes were wild with their mirth.
The ways and the woods were made pleasant,
And the flowering nooks of the earth.
And the sunshine sufficed to rejoice me,
And the air was as bracing as wine,
And the sky and the shadows and grasses
Were enough to make living divine.
Then I saw on the ground two gray robins,
One with glorious flame-colored vest,
'Neath the shade of some delicate bluebells,
By the breeze of the morning caressed.
They were singing of love in the shadow;
She was bashful, and modest, and coy,
And he sang to her tenderest love-songs,
And madrigals full of his joy.
And his song came forth clearer and clearer,
With each passionate, musical note;
Like the ripple of silvery waters,
It gushed from his beautiful throat.
His whole little bird-soul he offers,—
Ah! she listens to him as he sings:
Then he ceases, awaiting her answer,
With bright eyes and with quivering wings.
And I, too, stood awaiting it, breathless,
For his song was too sweet to disdain,
Till it came, little notes full of gladness,
With a plaintive and tender refrain.
And the songs died away in the distance,
And the forest alone heard the rest,
As the two little lovers flew upward,
To build them together a nest.
Scheme | ABABXCDC XEXEXFXF GHIHIJGJ XKDKXEXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010110010 01001111 010010110 001001101 001011011 001111011 001001010 001111001 1111011110 111001101 101111001 101101001 101011001 111001001 01110111 01001111 0111110010 111001001 1010110010 11111001 111011110 111011111 1110010010 111011001 0111010110 111111101 111101111 101001001 0011010010 001001101 1011010110 11101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,223 |
Words | 224 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 245 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 55 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 13, 2023
- 1:07 min read
- 34 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Idyl" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12683/idyl>.
Discuss this Emma Lazarus 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