Analysis of A Perfect Strain

Isabella Valancy Crawford 1850 (Dublin) – 1887 (Toronto)



O BID the minstrel tune his harp,
And bid the minstrel sing;
And let it be a perfect strain
That round the hall shall ring:
A strain to throb in lady's heart,
To brim the warrior's soul,
As dew fills up the summer rose
And wine the lordly bowl!

O let the minstrel's voice ring clear,
His touch sweep gay and light;
Nor let his glittering tresses know
One streak of wintry white.
And let the light of ruddy June
Shine in his joyous eyes,
If he would wake the only strain
That never fully dies!

O what the strain that woos the knight
To turn from steed and lance,
The page to turn from hound and hawk,
The maid from lute and dance;
The potent strain, that nigh would draw
The hermit from his cave,
The dryad from the leafy oak,
The mermaid from the wave;
That almost might still charm the hawk
To drop the trembling dove?
O ruddy minstrel, tune thy harp,
And sing of Youthful Love!


Scheme ABCBXDXD XEXEXFCF EGHGXIXIHJAJ
Poetic Form
Metre 11010111 010101 01110011 110111 01110101 11011 11110101 01011 1101111 111101 111100101 111101 01011101 101101 11110101 110101 11011101 111101 01111101 011101 01011111 010111 0110101 01101 1111101 1101001 11010111 011101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 860
Words 172
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 12
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 228
Words per stanza (avg) 57
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

52 sec read
85

Isabella Valancy Crawford

Isabella Valancy Crawford was an Irish-born Canadian writer and poet. more…

All Isabella Valancy Crawford poems | Isabella Valancy Crawford Books

0 fans

Discuss this Isabella Valancy Crawford poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Perfect Strain" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19884/a-perfect-strain>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    4
    hours
    20
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet is associated with the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"?
    A Maya Angelou
    B Ralph Waldo Emerson
    C Langston Hughes
    D Emily Dickinson