Analysis of Porphyria's Lover

Robert Browning 1812 (Camberwell) – 1889 (Venice)



The rain set early in to-night,
  The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
  And did its worst to vex the lake:
  I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
  She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
  Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
  Which done, she rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
  And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
  And, last, she sat down by my side
  And called me. When no voice replied,
She put my arm about her waist,
  And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
  And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
  And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,
Murmuring how she loved me---she
  Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,
To set its struggling passion free
  From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
  And give herself to me for ever.
But passion sometimes would prevail,
 Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
  For love of her, and all in vain:
  So, she was come through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
  Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshipped me; surprise
  Made my heart swell, and still it grew
  While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
  Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
  In one long yellow string I wound
  Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
  I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
  I warily oped her lids: again
  Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.
And I untightened next the tress
  About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
  I propped her head up as before,
  Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:
  The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
  That all it scorned at once is fled,
  And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
  Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
  And all night long we have not stirred,
  And yet God has not said a word!


Scheme ABABBCDCDDEFEFFGHGHHIJIHJKLKLLMNMNNHOHOOILIPLQRSRRTUTUUVWVWW
Poetic Form Etheree  (28%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 01110011 01011101 11011111 01111101 11011111 110011 11011001 0101011 11010101 11110101 01010101 01011101 01010111 01111111 01111101 11110101 01011101 01010101 01011111 011010101 10011111 111101010 111100101 110111 010111110 11001101 11111101 01011111 11100101 11111101 11111101 10011111 110101 11110111 11010111 11011111 10010111 01110101 01110111 11010101 01001111 11111111 10111101 110010101 10110101 011101 01010111 11011101 11011101 10111101 01110111 01010101 1111111 11111111 01111101 111111 01011111 01110101 01111111 01111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,154
Words 410
Sentences 12
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 60
Lines Amount 60
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,647
Words per stanza (avg) 408
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

2:04 min read
1,145

Robert Browning

Robert Browning was the father of poet Robert Browning. more…

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