Analysis of There Was One

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



There was one a-riding grand
  On a tall brown mare,
And a fine gold band
  He brought me there.

A little, gold band
  He held to me
That would shine on a hand
  For the world to see.

There was one a-walking swift
  To a little, new song,
And a rose was the gift
  He carried along,

First of all the posies,
  Dewy and red.
They that have roses
  Never need bread.

There was one with a swagger
  And a soft, slow tongue,
And a bright, cold dagger
  Where his left hand swung-

Craven and gilt,
  Old and bad-
And his stroking of the hilt
  Set a girl mad.

There was one a-riding grand
  As he rode from me.
And he raised his golden band
  And he threw it in the sea.

There was one a-walking slow
  To a sad, Iong sigh.
And his rose drooped low,
  And he flung it down to die.

There was one with a swagger
  And a little, sharp pride,
And a bright, cold dagger
  Ever at his side.

At his side it stayed
  When he ran to part.
What is this blade
  Struck through my heart?


Scheme Abab acac dede fgfg HiHi jkjk Acac lmlm HnHn opop
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1110101 10111 00111 1111 01011 1111 111101 10111 1110101 101011 001101 11001 11101 1001 11110 1011 1111010 00111 001110 11111 1001 101 0110101 1011 1110101 11111 0111101 0111001 1110101 10111 01111 0111111 1111010 001011 001110 10111 11111 11111 1111 1111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 938
Words 194
Sentences 13
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 40
Letters per line (avg) 18
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 71
Words per stanza (avg) 19
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

58 sec read
129

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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