Analysis of Maids In May
Three maids there were in meadow bright,
The eldest less then seven;
Their eyes were dancing with delight,
And innocent as Heaven.
Wild flowers they wound with tender glee,
Their cheeks with rapture rosy;
All radiant they smiled at me,
When I besought a posy.
She gave me a columbine,
And one a poppy brought me;
The tiniest, with eyes ashine,
A simple daisy sought me.
And as I went my sober way,
I heard their careless laughter;
Their hearts too happy with to-day
To care for what comes after.
That's long ago; they're gone, all three,
To walk amid the shadows;
Forgotten is their lyric glee
In still and sunny meadows.
For Columbine loved life too well,
And went adventure fairing;
And sank into the pit of hell,
And passed but little caring.
While Poppy was a poor man's wife,
And children had a-plenty;
And went, worn out with toil and strife
When she was five-and-twenty.
And Daisy died while yet a child,
As fragile blossoms perish,
When Winter winds are harsh and wild,
With none to shield and cherish.
Ah me! How fate is dark and dour
To little Children of the Poor.
Scheme | ABAB CCCD XCBC EFEF CDCD GHGHICIC JKJK FX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110011 0101110 11010101 0100110 110111101 1111010 11001111 11101 111010 0101011 0100111 0101011 01111101 1111010 11110111 1111110 11011111 110101 01011101 010101 1101111 010101 01010111 0111010 11010111 0101010 01111101 1111010 01011101 1101010 11011101 1111010 111111010 11010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,085 |
Words | 197 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 4, 2 |
Lines Amount | 34 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 105 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:00 min read
- 92 Views
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"Maids In May" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32235/maids-in-may>.
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