Analysis of Lines To A Dragon Fly

Walter Savage Landor 1775 (Warwick) – 1864



Life (priest and poet say) is but a dream;
I wish no happier one than to be laid
Beneath some cool syringa's scented shade
Or wavy willow, by the running stream,
Brimful of Moral, where the Dragon Fly
Wanders as careless and content as I.

Thanks for this fancy, insect king,
Of purple crest and filmy wing,
Who with indifference givest up
The water-lily's golden cup,
To come again and overlook
What I am writing in my book.
Believe me, most who read the line
Will read with hornier eyes than thine;
And yet their souls shall live for ever,
And thine drop dead into the river!
God pardon them, O insect king,
Who fancy so unjust a thing!


Scheme ABBACC DDEEFFGGHHDD
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011101 11110011111 01111101 110110101 111010101 1011001011 1111011 1101011 11010011 0101101 1101010 11110011 01111101 1111111 011111110 011101010 1101111 11010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 628
Words 121
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 12
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 249
Words per stanza (avg) 60
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
120

Walter Savage Landor

Walter Savage Landor (30 January 1775 – 17 September 1864) was an English writer and poet. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem Rose Aylmer, but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not matched by public popularity. As remarkable as his work was, it was equalled by his rumbustious character and lively temperament. more…

All Walter Savage Landor poems | Walter Savage Landor Books

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