Enjambment

W.B.Yeats' "Fallen Majesty"

Although crowds gathered once if she but showed her face,
And even old men's eyes grew dim, this hand alone,
Like some last courtier at a gypsy camping place,
Babbling of fallen majesty, records what's gone.

The lineaments, a heart that laughter has made sweet,
These, these remain, but I record what's gone. A crowd
Will gather, and not know it walks the very street
Whereon a thing once walked that seemed a burning cloud.

Analysis:

The tone of this poem is the devastating effect of time, and especially things that have been forgotten with it. The first stanza, wherein the narrator describes prior times, is all end-stopped, creating the effect of uniformity, an effect which emphasizes previous harmony. The second stanza is where the shift in tone of the poem occurs: no longer remains the bittersweet memory of “fallen majesty.” The enjambment makes the lines run into each other, emphasizing the movement of the poem: this illustrates the passage of time, made negative through diction. The enjambed lines specifically mirror a scene in the first stanza, and this enjambment emphasizes the marked difference.