Sonnet

http://www.sonnets.org/bensel.htm "A Portrait" by James Berry Bensel In the white sweetness of her dimpled chin The pink points of her perfumed fingers press, And 'round her tremulous mouth's loveliness The tears and smiles a sudden strife begin: First one and then the other seems to win: And o'er her drooping eyes a golden tress Falls down to hide what else they might confess Their blue-veined lids are striving to shut in. The yellow pearls that bind her throat about With her pale bosom's throbbing rise or fall: The while her thoughts like carrier-doves have fled To that far land where armies clash and shout, And where, beyond love's reach, a soldier tall With staring eyes and broken sword lies dead. This is a petrarchan sonnet because of the ABBAABBA + CDECDE rhyme scheme. I had a bit of difficulty locating the turning point, but I think it is around the 7th line because the poem shifts from physical description to a description of her thoughts and feelings. You could say that Bensel made a modification to the sonnet by having this shift earlier on in the pome, but I don't think it's significant enough to argue about. The form of this poem benefits its message by allowing the reader to have a lovely sing-songy interaction with the beautiful woman before we learn about her troubles and the problems that make her feel not so beautiful. The volta emphasizes the weight on her shoulders, so to speak. I chose this poem out of obscurity (sorry, gotta be cautious) but I came to like it after a thorough reading. The description of the woman is captivating and she seems like a painting, yet it's almost as if she's haunted by the absence of her lover.