Analysis of The Lover’s Colloquy
Victor Marie Hugo 1802 (Besançon) – 1885 (Paris)
[HERNANI, Act V.]
One little moment to indulge the sight
With the rich beauty of the summer's night.
The harp is hushed, and, see, the torch is dim,--
Night and ourselves together. To the brim
The cup of our felicity is filled.
Each sound is mute, each harsh sensation stilled.
Dost thou not think that, e'en while nature sleeps,
Some power its amorous vigils o'er us keeps?
No cloud in heaven; while all around repose,
Come taste with me the fragrance of the rose,
Which loads the night-air with its musky breath,
While everything is still as nature's death.
E'en as you spoke--and gentle words were those
Spoken by you,--the silver moon uprose;
How that mysterious union of her ray,
With your impassioned accents, made its way
Straight to my heart! I could have wished to die
In that pale moonlight, and while thou wert by.
HERNANI. Thy words are music, and thy strain of love
Is borrowed from the choir of heaven above.
DONNA SOL. Night is too silent, darkness too profound
Oh, for a star to shine, a voice to sound--
To raise some sudden note of music now
Suited to night.
HERN. Capricious girl! your vow
Was poured for silence, and to be released
From the thronged tumult of the marriage feast.
DONNA SOL. Yes; but one bird to carol in the field,--
A nightingale, in mossy shade concealed,--
A distant flute,--for music's stream can roll
To soothe the heart, and harmonize the soul,--
O! 'twould be bliss to listen.
[_Distant sound of a horn, the signal that_ HERNANI
_must go to_ DON RUY, _who, having saved his
life, had him bound in a vow to yield it up._]
Scheme | X AABBCCDDEEFFEDGGHH II JJKA KLL MMNNX KXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111 1101010101 1011010101 0111010111 10001010101 01110010011 1111110101 11111111101 1101100101011 11010110101 1111010101 1101111101 110111101 11111010101 101101011 11010010101 1101010111 1111111111 011101111 11111001111 11101011001 1011111010101 1101110111 1111011101 1011 1010111 1111001101 1011010101 1011111110001 010001101 0101110111 110101001 1111110 1110101011 1111111011 11110011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,537 |
Words | 292 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 18, 2, 4, 3, 5, 3 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 172 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:29 min read
- 94 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Lover’s Colloquy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37813/the-lover%E2%80%99s-colloquy>.
Discuss this Victor Marie Hugo poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In