Analysis of Sonnet 38 - First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write;
And ever since, it grew more clean and white,
Slow to world-greetings, quick with its 'Oh, list,'
When the angels speak. A ring of amethyst
I could not wear here, plainer to my sight,
Than that first kiss. The second passed in height
The first, and sought the forehead, and half missed,
Half falling on the hair. O beyond meed!
That was the chrism of love, which love's own crown,
With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.
The third upon my lips was folded down
In perfect, purple state; since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, 'My love, my own.'
Scheme | ABBAABBAACDCDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111101 010111111 0101111101 1111011111 10101011100 1111110111 1111010101 0101010011 1101011011 1101111111 1110101 0101111101 0011011101 1111011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 643 |
Words | 122 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 492 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 117 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 159 Views
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"Sonnet 38 - First time he kissed me, he but only kissed" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10288/sonnet-38---first-time-he-kissed-me%2C-he-but-only-kissed>.
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