Analysis of The Weakest Thing
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
Which is the weakest thing of all
Mine heart can ponder?
The sun, a little cloud can pall
With darkness yonder?
The cloud, a little wind can move
Where'er it listeth?
The wind, a little leaf above,
Though sere, resisteth?
What time that yellow leaf was green,
My days were gladder;
But now, whatever Spring may mean,
I must grow sadder.
Ah me! a leaf with sighs can wring
My lips asunder -
Then is mine heart the weakest thing
Itself can ponder.
Yet, Heart, when sun and cloud are pined
And drop together,
And at a blast, which is not wind,
The forests wither,
Thou, from the darkening deathly curse
To glory breakest, -
The Strongest of the universe
Guarding the weakest!
Scheme | XAXAXBXB CACADADA EAEAFEFX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010111 11110 01010111 11010 01010111 1011 01010101 111 11110111 1101 1110111 11110 11011111 11010 11110101 01110 11110111 01010 01011111 01010 110100101 1101 0101010 10010 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 659 |
Words | 125 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 174 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 29, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 83 Views
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"The Weakest Thing" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10404/the-weakest-thing>.
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