Analysis of The Owl
Edward Thomas 1878 (London Borough of Lambeth) – 1917 (Pas-de-Calais)
DOWNHILL I came, hungry, and yet not starved,
Cold, yet had heat within me that was proof
Against the north wind; tired, yet so that rest
Had seemed the sweetest thing under a roof.
Then at the inn I had food, fire, and rest,
Knowing how hungry, cold, and tired was I.
All of the night was quite barred out except
An owl's cry, a most melancholy cry.
Shaken out long and clear upon the hill
No merry note, nor cause of merriment,
But one telling me plain what I escaped
And others could not, that night, as in I went.
And salted was my food, and my repose,
Salted and sobered too, by the bird's voice
Speaking for all who lay under the stars,
Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.
Scheme | ABCB CDXD XAXX XEXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 1111100111 1111011111 01011101111 1101011001 11011111001 10110101011 1101111101 111011001 1011010101 11011111 1110111101 01011111011 0101110101 1001011011 1011111001 1001010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 685 |
Words | 133 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 131 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 28, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 119 Views
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"The Owl" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9901/the-owl>.
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