Analysis of Overhead the Tree-Tops Meet

Robert Browning 1812 (Camberwell) – 1889 (Venice)



Overhead the tree-tops meet,
Flowers and grass spring 'neath one's feet;
There was nought above me, and nought below,
My childhood had not learned to know:
For what are the voices of birds
—Ay, and of beasts,—but words—our words,
Only so much more sweet?
The knowledge of that with my life begun!
But I had so near made out the sun,
And counted your stars, the Seven and One,
Like the fingers of my hand:
Nay, I could all but understand
Wherefore through heaven the white moon ranges,
And just when out of her soft fifty changes
No unfamiliar face might overlook me—
Suddenly God took me!


Scheme AABBCCADDDEEFFGG
Poetic Form
Metre 1010111 10011111 1110110101 1111111 11101011 101111101 101111 0101111101 111111101 0101101001 1010111 1111101 111001110 01111011010 101011101 100111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 590
Words 110
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 458
Words per stanza (avg) 107
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

33 sec read
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Robert Browning

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

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