Analysis of A Fit Of Rhyme Against Rhyme
Ben Jonson 1572 (Westminster) – 1637 (Westminster)
Rhyme, the rack of finest wits,
That expresseth but by fits
True conceit,
Spoiling senses of their treasure,
Cozening judgment with a measure,
But false weight;
Wresting words from their true calling,
Propping verse for fear of falling
To the ground;
Jointing syllabes, drowning letters,
Fast'ning vowels as with fetters
They were bound!
Soon as lazy thou wert known,
All good poetry hence was flown,
And art banish'd.
For a thousand years together
All Parnassus' green did wither,
And wit vanish'd.
Pegasus did fly away,
At the wells no Muse did stay,
But bewail'd
So to see the fountain dry,
And Apollo's music die,
All light failed!
Starveling rhymes did fill the stage;
Not a poet in an age
Worth crowning;
Not a work deserving bays,
Not a line deserving praise,
Pallas frowning;
Greek was free from rhyme's infection,
Happy Greek by this protection
Was not spoiled.
Whilst the Latin, queen of tongues,
Is not yet free from rhyme's wrongs,
But rests foiled.
Scarce the hill again doth flourish,
Scarce the world a wit doth nourish
To restore
Phbus to his crown again,
And the Muses to their brain,
As before.
Vulgar languages that want
Words and sweetness, and be scant
Of true measure,
Tyrant rhyme hath so abused,
That they long since have refused
Other csure.
He that first invented thee,
May his joints tormented be,
Cramp'd forever.
Still may syllabes jar with time,
Still may reason war with rhyme,
Resting never.
May his sense when it would meet
The cold tumor in his feet,
Grow unsounder;
And his title be long fool,
That in rearing such a school
Was the founder.
Scheme | AABCCDEEFGGFHHICCIJJBKKLMMENNEOOPQRPSSTUVTWXCYYCZZC1 1 CBBC2 2 C |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (27%) Tetractys (25%) |
Metre | 1011101 11111 101 10101110 1101010 111 10111110 10111110 101 111010 11101110 101 1110111 11100111 0110 10101010 1101110 0110 1001101 1011111 11 1110101 0010101 111 111101 1010011 110 1010101 1010101 1010 11111010 10111010 111 1010111 1111111 111 10101110 10101110 101 111101 0010111 101 1010011 1010011 1110 1011101 1111101 101 1110101 111101 1010 111111 1110111 1010 1111111 0110011 11 0110111 1010101 1010 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,516 |
Words | 273 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 60 |
Lines Amount | 60 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,244 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 273 |
Font size:
Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on April 23, 2023
- 1:24 min read
- 57 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Fit Of Rhyme Against Rhyme" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/54826/a-fit-of-rhyme-against-rhyme>.
Discuss this Ben Jonson poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In