Analysis of Familiarity Dangerous
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
As in her ancient mistress’ lap
The youthful tabby lay,
They gave each other many a tap,
Alike disposed to play.
But strife ensues. Puss waxes warm,
And with protruded claws
Ploughs all the length of Lydia’s arm,
Mere wantonness the cause.
At once, resentful of the deed,
She shakes her to the ground
With many a threat that she shall bleed
With still a deeper wound.
But, Lydia, bid thy fury rest:
It was a venial stroke:
For she that will with kittens jest
Should bear a kitten’s joke.
Scheme | ABAB XXXX CDCD EFEF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 10010101 010101 111101001 010111 11011101 0111 1101111 1101 11010101 110101 110011111 110101 110011101 11011 11111101 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 486 |
Words | 92 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 95 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 27 sec read
- 68 Views
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"Familiarity Dangerous" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39857/familiarity-dangerous>.
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