Analysis of Staffa
John Keats 1795 (Moorgate) – 1821 (Rome)
Not Aladdin magian
Ever such a work began;
Not the wizard of the Dee
Ever such a dream could see;
Not St. John, in Patmos' Isle,
In the passion of his toil,
When he saw the churches seven,
Golden aisl'd, built up in heaven,
Gaz'd at such a rugged wonder.
As I stood its roofing under
Lo! I saw one sleeping there,
On the marble cold and bare.
While the surges wash'd his feet,
And his garments white did beat.
Drench'd about the sombre rocks,
On his neck his well-grown locks,
Lifted dry above the main,
Were upon the curl again.
'What is this? and what art thou?'
Whisper'd I, and touch'd his brow;
'What art thou? and what is this?'
Whisper'd I, and strove to kiss
The spirit's hand, to wake his eyes;
Up he started in a trice:
'I am Lycidas,' said he,
'Fam'd in funeral minstrely!
This was architectur'd thus
By the great Oceanus!--
Here his mighty waters play
Hollow organs all the day;
Here by turns his dolphins all,
Finny palmers great and small,
Come to pay devotion due--
Each a mouth of pearls must strew.
Many a mortal of these days,
Dares to pass our sacred ways,
Dares to touch audaciously
This Cathedral of the Sea!
I have been the pontiff-priest
Where the waters never rest,
Where a fledgy sea-bird choir
Soars for ever; holy fire
I have hid from mortal man;
Proteus is my Sacristan.
But the dulled eye of mortal
Hath pass'd beyond the rocky portal;
So for ever will I leave
Such a taint, and soon unweave
All the magic of the place.'
* * * * * *
So saying, with a Spirit's glance
He dived!
Scheme | AABBCDAAEEFFGGHHAAIIJJKLBCMHNNOOPPQQCBRSEEAATTUUV WX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10101 1010101 1010101 1010111 111011 0010111 11101010 10111010 11101010 11111010 1111101 1010101 1010111 0110111 101011 1111111 1010101 0010101 1110111 1010111 1110111 1010111 01011111 1110001 11111 101001 1111 1011 1110101 1010101 1111101 11101 1110101 1011111 10010111 11110101 1111 1010101 1110101 1010101 1011110 11101010 1111101 1111 1011110 110101010 1110111 101011 1010101 1 11010101 11 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,511 |
Words | 292 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 52 |
Lines Amount | 52 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,138 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 285 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 09, 2023
- 1:30 min read
- 73 Views
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"Staffa" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23491/staffa>.
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