Analysis of Departure

Henry Van Dyke 1852 (Germantown, Pennsylvania) – 1933 (Princeton, New Jersey)



Oh, why are you shining so bright, big Sun,
And why is the garden so gay?
Do you know that my days of delight are done,
Do you know I am going away?
If you covered your face with a cloud, I 'd dream
You were sorry for me in my pain,
And the heads of the flowers all bowed would seem
To be weeping with me in the rain.

But why is your head so low, sweet heart,
And why are your eyes overcast?
Are they clouded because you know we must part,
Do you think this embrace is our last?
Then kiss me again, and again, and again,
Look up as you bid me good-bye!
For your face is too dear for the stain of a tear,
And your smile is the sun in my sky.


Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFXGXG
Poetic Form
Metre 1111101111 01101011 11111110111 111111001 111011101111 101011011 00110101111 111011001 111111111 0111110 11100111111 1111011101 11101001001 11111111 111111101101 011101011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 635
Words 140
Sentences 8
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 241
Words per stanza (avg) 69
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
111

Henry Van Dyke

Henry Jackson van Dyke was an American author, educator, and clergyman. more…

All Henry Van Dyke poems | Henry Van Dyke Books

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