Analysis of The Summer Day

Mary Oliver 1935 (Maple Heights, OH) – 2019 (Hobe Sound, FL)



Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?


Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKGELJMNOP
Poetic Form
Metre 1101 11010011 11010 11011 01111011101 011110101111 111001101011101 1110011001001001 111010101001001 11101100101 1110101011 1111110101111 0101111001 1111001111101 1111111011 11111111 1010111011 111111111 11110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 830
Words 178
Sentences 11
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 19
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 637
Words per stanza (avg) 164
Font size:
 

Submitted by JokerGem on November 11, 2023

54 sec read
1,180

Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver was an award-winning poet with fans throughout the world. In addition to her numerous literary prizes, as noted by New York Times, Oliver was, "far and away, this country's best-selling poet." more…

All Mary Oliver poems | Mary Oliver Books

11 fans

Discuss this Mary Oliver poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Summer Day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/173568/the-summer-day>.

    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.
    18
    days
    17
    hours
    47
    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?

    »
    Which poet is known for writing "Ode to a Nightingale"?
    A William Wordsworth
    B Percy Bysshe Shelley
    C Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    D John Keats