Analysis of The Old Homestead
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
'Tis an old deserted homestead
On the outskirts of the town,
Where the roof is all moss-covered,
And the walls are tumbling down;
But around that little cottage
Do my brightest mem'ries cling,
For 'twas there I spent the moments
Of my youth,--life's happy spring.
I remember how I used to
Swing upon the old front gate,
While the robin in the tree tops
Sung a night song to his mate;
And how later in the evening,
As the beaux were wont to do,
Mr. Perkins, in the parlor,
Sat and sparked my sister Sue.
There my mother--heaven bless her!--
Kissed or spanked as was our need,
And by smile or stroke implanted
In our hearts fair virtue's seed;
While my father, man of wisdom,
Lawyer keen, and farmer stout,
Argued long with neighbor Dobbins
How the corn crops would turn out.
Then the quiltings and the dances--
How my feet were wont to fly,
While the moon peeped through the barn chinks
From her stately place on high.
Oh, those days, so sweet, so happy,
Ever backward o'er me roll;
Still the music of that farm life
Rings an echo in my soul.
Now the old place is deserted,
And the walls are falling down;
All who made the home life cheerful,
Now have died or moved to town.
But about that dear old cottage
Shall my mem'ries ever cling,
For 'twas there I spent the moments
Of my, youth,--life's happy spring.
Scheme | xaxabcDC efxfcege ghihxjxj xkxkxlxl iaxabcDC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (33%) |
Metre | 1110101 101101 10111110 00111001 10111010 111011 11111010 1111101 10101111 1010111 10100011 1011111 01100010 1010111 10100010 1011101 11101010 11111101 01111010 0101111 11101110 1010101 10111010 1011111 1010010 1110111 10111011 1010111 11111110 10101011 10101111 1110011 10111010 0011101 11101110 1111111 10111110 111101 11111010 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,276 |
Words | 248 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 201 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 30, 2023
- 1:16 min read
- 102 Views
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