Analysis of The Fairy
Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)
Said Ann to Matilda, 'I wish that we knew
If what we've been reading of fairies be true.
Do you think that the poet himself had a sight of
The fairies he here does so prettily write of?
O what a sweet sight if he really had seen
The graceful Titania, the Fairy-land Queen!
If I had such dreams, I would sleep a whole year;
I would not wish to wake while a fairy was near.-
Now I'll fancy that I in my sleep have been seeing
A fine little delicate lady-like being,
Whose steps and whose motions so light were and airy,
I knew at one glance that she must be a fairy.
Her eyes they were blue, and her fine curling hair
Of the lightest of browns, her complexion more fair
Than I e'er saw a woman's; and then for her height,
I verily think that she measured not quite
Two feet, yet so justly proportioned withal,
I was almost persuaded to think she was tall.
Her voice was the little thin note of a sprite-
There-d'ye think I have made out a fairy aright?
You'll confess, I believe, I've not done it amiss.'
'Pardon me,' said Matilda, 'I find in all this
Fine description, you've only your young sister Mary
Been taking a copy of here for a fairy.'
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIHHJJFF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101011111 11111011011 1111010011011 0101111111 11011111011 01001001011 11111111011 111111101011 1110110111110 011010010110 110110110010 111111111010 01101001101 101011001011 1110101001101 111111011 1111100101 11101011111 01101011101 111111110101 101101111101 101101011011 1010110111010 110010111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,128 |
Words | 228 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 877 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 222 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 156 Views
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"The Fairy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5392/the-fairy>.
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