Analysis of The Birth Of Virtue

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



When, long ago, the young world circling flew
Through wider reaches of a richer blue,
New-eyed, the men and maids saw, manifest,
The thoughts untold in one another's breast:
Each wish displayed, and every passion learned
A look revealed them as a look discerned.
But sating Time with clouds o'ercast their eyes;
Desire was hidden, and the lips framed lies.
A goddess then, emerging from the dust,
Fair Virtue rose, the daughter of Distrust.


Scheme AABBCCDDEE
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Etheree  (20%)
Metre 11010111001 1101010101 110101110 0101010101 11010100101 0101110101 11111111 01011000111 0101010101 1101010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 439
Words 76
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10
Lines Amount 10
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 348
Words per stanza (avg) 74
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

23 sec read
366

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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