Analysis of The Farewell
Konstantin Nikolaevich Batiushkov 1787 (Vologda) – 1855 (Vologda)
BENT o'er his sabre, torrents starting
From his dim eyes, the bold hussar
Thus greets his cherish'd maid, while parting
For distant fields of war:
'Weep not, my fair one! O forbear thee!
No anguish can those tears remove;
For, by my troth and beard, I swear thee,
Time shall not change my love.
'That love shall bloom— a deathless blossom,
My shield in fight— with sword in hand,
And thou, my Lila, in my bosom,
What shall that sword withstand?
'Weep not, my fair one! O forbear thee!
Those tears can bid no grief depart;
And were I faithless, Maid! I swear thee,
Anguish would tear my heart!
'Then my good steed would sure betray me,
And falter in the battle-fray,
In peril's hours refuse t' obey me—
My stirrup would give way.
'The sword, my valour's proudest token,
When grasp'd, like rotten wood would break;
And I should seek thee, spirit-broken,
Death's paleness on my cheek.'
But the false horseman's steed obey'd him,
Gentle and eager still;— his sword,
Bright and unbroken, ne'er betray'd him,
Though he broke oath and word.
The tale of love— the tears which shower'd
From Lila's eye— were all forgot;
The rose-wreath faded— pale— deflower'd:—
Such buds re-blossom not!
That maiden's breast of peace he rifles;
Then hies him to another's breast;
Man's oaths to woman are but— trifles;
And love itself— a jest.
He serves— secures— and then he slights them;
His vows are change— and treachery;
For laughing Cupid's arrow writes them
Upon the shifting sea.
Scheme | axax Bxbx cdcd Bebe bfbf gxgx hxhi ijdj klkl mbmb |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (60%) Etheree (33%) |
Metre | 1101101010 11110110 111101110 110111 11111111 11011101 111101111 111111 11110110 11011101 011100110 111101 11111111 11111101 00111111 101111 111111011 01000101 0110011011 110111 01111010 11110111 011111010 11111 10111011 10010111 100101011 111101 011101110 1110101 0111011 111101 11111110 11110101 111101110 010101 110101111 11110100 11011011 010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,527 |
Words | 260 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 111 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:22 min read
- 86 Views
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"The Farewell" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25321/the-farewell>.
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