Analysis of Kwannon
Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall 1883 (Gunnersbury, London) – 1922 (Vancouver)
[Kwannon, the Japanese goddess of mercy, is represented with many hands, typifying generosity and kindness. In one of these hands she is supposed
to hold an axe, wherewith she severs the threads of human lives.]
I am the ancient one, the many-handed,
The merciful am I.
Here where the black pine bends above the sea
They bring their gifts to me --
Spoil of the foreshore where the corals lie,
Fishes of ivory, and amber stranded,
And carven beads
Green as the fretted fringes of the weeds.
Age after age, I watch the long sails pass.
Age after age, I see them come once more
Home, as the grey-winged pigeon to the grass,
The white crane to the shore.
Goddess am I of heaven and this small town
Above the beaches brown.
And here the children bring me cakes, and flowers,
And all the strange sea-creatures that they find,
For "She," they say, "the Merciful, is ours,
And she," they say, "is kind."
Camphor and wave-worn sandalwood for burning
They bring to me alone,
Shells that are veined like irises, and those
Curved like the clear bright petals of a rose.
Wherefore an hundredfold again returning
I render them their own --
Full-freighted nets that flash among the foam,
Laughter and love, and gentle eyes at home,
Cool of the night, and the soft air that swells
My silver temple bells.
Winds of the spring, the little flowers that shine
Where the young barley slopes to meet the pine,
Gold of the charlock, guerdon of the rain,
I give to them again.
Yet though the fishing boats return full-laden
Out of the broad blue east,
Under the brown roofs pain is their handmaiden,
And mourning is their feast.
Yea, though my many hands are raised to bless,
I am not strong to give them happiness.
Sorrow comes swiftly as the swallow flying,
O, little lives, that are so quickly done!
Peace is my raiment, mercy is my breath,
I am the gentle one.
When they are tired of sorrow and of sighing
I give them death.
Scheme | XX ABCCBADD EFEFGGHIHI JKLLJK MMNNOOXX PQGQXX JPRPJR |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1001101101010110110100010011111101 11111110011101 11010101010 010011 1101110101 111111 110110101 10110001010 011 1101010101 1101110111 1101111111 1101110101 011101 10111100111 010101 01010111010 0101110111 11110100110 011111 10111110 111101 1111110001 1101110101 11101010 110111 111110101 1001010111 1101001111 110101 11010101011 1011011101 11011101 111101 11010101110 110111 100111111 010111 1111011111 1111111100 10110101010 1101111101 111110111 110101 111101100110 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,867 |
Words | 352 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 8, 10, 6, 8, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 46 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 212 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:44 min read
- 38 Views
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"Kwannon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26430/kwannon>.
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