Analysis of A bucolic betwixt two;lacon and thyrsis
Robert Herrick 1591 (London) – 1674 (Dean Prior)
LACON. For a kiss or two, confess,
What doth cause this pensiveness,
Thou most lovely neat-herdess?
Why so lonely on the hill?
Why thy pipe by thee so still,
That erewhile was heard so shrill?
Tell me, do thy kine now fail
To fulfil the milking-pail?
Say, what is't that thou dost ail?
THYR. None of these; but out, alas!
A mischance is come to pass,
And I'll tell thee what it was:
See, mine eyes are weeping ripe.
LACON. Tell, and I'll lay down my pipe.
THYR. I have lost my lovely steer,
That to me was far more dear
Than these kine which I milk here;
Broad of forehead, large of eye,
Party-colour'd like a pye,
Smooth in each limb as a die;
Clear of hoof, and clear of horn,
Sharply pointed as a thorn;
With a neck by yoke unworn,
From the which hung down by strings,
Balls of cowslips, daisy rings,
Interplaced with ribbonings;
Faultless every way for shape;
Not a straw could him escape,
Ever gamesome as an ape,
But yet harmless as a sheep.
Pardon, Lacon, if I weep;
Tears will spring where woes are deep.
Now, ai me! ai me! Last night
Came a mad dog, and did bite,
Ay, and kill'd my dear delight.
LACON Alack, for grief!
THYR. But I'll be brief.
Hence I must, for time doth call
Me, and my sad playmates all,
To his evening funeral.
Live long, Lacon; so adieu!
LACON Mournful maid, farewell to you;
Earth afford ye flowers to strew!
Scheme | AAABBBCCC DDXEE FFXGGGHHHIIAJJJKKKLLL MMNNXO OO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011101 11111 111011 1110101 1111111 111111 1111111 110101 11111111 11111101 011111 0111111 1111101 11011111 11111101 1111111 1111111 1110111 1010101 1011101 1110111 1010101 101111 1011111 111101 111 1100111 1011101 101111 1110101 101111 1111111 1111111 1011011 1011101 1111 11111 1111111 101111 1110100 111101 1101111 10111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,314 |
Words | 257 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 5, 21, 6, 2 |
Lines Amount | 43 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 202 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 53 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:18 min read
- 137 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A bucolic betwixt two;lacon and thyrsis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31238/a-bucolic-betwixt-two%3Blacon-and-thyrsis>.
Discuss this Robert Herrick 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