Twice

Question 1

What is ‘twice’ about?

Answer 1

Tells the story of a heartbroken women who, after being rejected by her beloved, turns to God for solace. The poem presents religious faith as a more reliable and transformative love than any earthly romance.

Question 2

When was ‘twice’ written and published?

Answer 2

Written in 1864, published in 1866 apart of her 2nd collection ‘The Prince’s progress and other poems.’

Question 3

What are the main themes in ‘twice’ ?

Answer 3

Earthly romance vs Divine love
Transformative power of faith
Victorian sexual hypocrisy

Question 4

What is the main symbol in ‘twice’ ?

Answer 4

Skylark — common symbols of joy, freedom, divinity.

Question 5

What is the rhyme scheme of ‘twice’ ?

Answer 5

ABACDBDC, mixture of quick and distant rhyme sounds creates a sense of tension and relief, like the speaker perhaps becoming carried away or tangled up in her thoughts, before coming back down to earth.

Question 6

What is the form of ‘twice’ ?

Answer 6

Six Octets (eight line stanzas)
1st 3 stanzas focus on speaker’s relationship with human lover
2nd 3 stanzas focus on speaker’s relationship with God.

Question 7

What is the meter of ‘twice’?

Answer 7

Accentual meter, lines typically have same no of stressed beats.
Many lines are iambic but meter is generally flexible. This meter keeps poem’s language feeling dynamic, adding drama/intensity to the speaker’s tale.