Analysis of A Woman's Last Word

Robert Browning 1812 (Camberwell) – 1889 (Venice)



Let's contend no more, Love,
  Strive nor weep:
All be as before, Love,
  ---Only sleep!

What so wild as words are?
  I and thou
In debate, as birds are,
  Hawk on bough!

See the creature stalking
  While we speak!
Hush and hide the talking,
  Cheek on cheek!

What so false as truth is,
  False to thee?
Where the serpent's tooth is
  Shun the tree---

Where the apple reddens
  Never pry---
Lest we lose our Edens,
  Eve and I.

Be a god and hold me
  With a charm!
Be a man and fold me
  With thine arm!

Teach me, only teach, Love
  As I ought
I will speak thy speech, Love,
  Think thy thought---

Meet, if thou require it,
  Both demands,
Laying flesh and spirit
  In thy hands.

That shall be to-morrow
  Not to-night:
I must bury sorrow
  Out of sight:

---Must a little weep, Love,
  (Foolish me!)
And so fall asleep, Love,
  Loved by thee.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH GIXI HJHJ AKAK XLXL MNMN AHAH
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 101111 111 111011 101 111111 101 001111 111 101010 111 101010 111 111111 111 101011 101 10101 101 1111010 101 101011 101 101011 111 111011 111 111111 111 111101 101 101010 011 111110 111 111010 111 101011 101 011011 111
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 850
Words 168
Sentences 22
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 40
Letters per line (avg) 15
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 59
Words per stanza (avg) 16
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

51 sec read
356

Robert Browning

Robert Browning was the father of poet Robert Browning. more…

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