Analysis of The Gentlest Lady
Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)
They say He was a serious child,
And quiet in His ways;
They say the gentlest lady smiled
To hear the neighbors' praise.
The coffers of her heart would close
Upon their smaliest word.
Yet did they say, "How tall He grows!"
They thought she had not heard.
They say upon His birthday eve
She'd rock Him to His rest
As if she could not have Him leave
The shelter of her breast.
The poor must go in bitter thrift,
The poor must give in pain,
But ever did she get a gift
To greet His day again.
They say she'd kiss the Boy awake,
And hail Him gay and clear,
But oh, her heart was like to break
To count another year.
Scheme | ABAB XCXC DEDE FXFX GHGH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (80%) Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 111101001 010011 110100101 110101 01010111 01111 11111111 111111 1101111 111111 11111111 010101 01110101 011101 11011101 111101 11110101 011101 11011111 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 600 |
Words | 126 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 94 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 320 Views
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