Analysis of It was a Lover and his Lass

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



IT was a lover and his lass,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green corn-field did pass,
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
These pretty country folks would lie,
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

This carol they began that hour,
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that life was but a flower
   In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

And, therefore, take the present time
   With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
For love is crown`d with the prime
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.


Scheme aBaCDD eBeCDD fBfCDD cBcCDD
Poetic Form
Metre 11010011 1010010011 110011111 00110101011 111111011 110101 01010101 1010010011 11010111 00110101011 111111011 110101 110101110 1010010011 11111010 00110101011 111111011 110101 0110101 1010010011 11111101 00110101011 111111011 110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 949
Words 187
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 173
Words per stanza (avg) 46
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

56 sec read
259

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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