Analysis of Sonnet XL
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
Oh, yes ! they love through all this world of ours !
I will not gainsay love, called love forsooth.
I have heard love talked in my early youth,
And since, not so long back but that the flowers
Then gathered, smell still. Mussulmans and Giaours
Throw kerchiefs at a smile, and have no ruth
For any weeping. Polypheme's white tooth
Slips on the nut if, after frequent showers,
The shell is over-smooth,--and not so much
Will turn the thing called love, aside to hate
Or else to oblivion. But thou art not such
A lover, my Beloved ! thou canst wait
Through sorrow and sickness, to bring souls to touch,
And think it soon when others cry ' Too late.'
Scheme | ABBAABBACDCDCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111111110 11111111 1111101101 01111111010 11011101 1101010111 11010111 11011101010 0111010111 1101110111 111010011111 010101111 11001011111 0111110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 641 |
Words | 122 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 499 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 121 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 134 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Sonnet XL" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10323/sonnet-xl>.
Discuss this Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In