Analysis of Grey-eyed mabel
Eliza Cook 1818 (London Road, Southwark) – 1889 (Wimbledon)
I gazed on orbs of flashing black;
I met the glow of hazel light;
I marked the hue of laughing blue,
That sparkled in the festive night.
But none could fling a lasting spell
To hold me with unchanging power--
The chains they cast were never fast
Beyond the gay and fleeting hour--
Till Grey-eyed Mabel's gentle glance,
With blushing sense and beauty rife,
Bade my soul cry with burning sigh,
'I'm thine, and only thine, for life.'
Black, blue, and hazel stars have set,
But Mabel's grey eyes lead me yet.
What was it in sweet Mabel's eyes
That told me what no others told,
That roused the dull, that pleased the wise,
That charmed the young and cheered the old?
What was it held my world-worn breast
In holy thrall--unknown before?
What was it those grey eyes expressed
That made me worship and adore?
It was the pure and tender ray
That filled those eyes in joy or woe;
It was the beam that could not play
Without the fountain stream below;
It was the beam of simple truth,
Of Woman's faith and trusting Youth.
Those soft, grey eyes were watched by mine
With earnest, deep, and secret prayer;
I knew, I felt, my earthly shrine
Was found and fixed for ever--there.
I poured my heart one moonlit night
Into sweet Mabel's listening ear;
Our mutual vow, from then till now,
Bound each to each--fond, firm, and dear.
Our boys and girls are growing round,
And all give promise, brave and fair,
But one, young cherub form is found
First in my love, my hope, my care.
And why?--ah! why? My soul replies,
'She has dear Mabel's soft, grey eyes.'
Scheme | XAXAXBXBXCXCDD EFEFGHGHIJIJKK LMLMAXXXNMNMEE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101 11011101 11011101 11000101 11110101 111101010 01110101 010101010 1111101 11010101 11111101 11010111 11010111 1111111 1110111 11111101 11011101 11010101 11111111 01010101 11111101 11110001 11010101 11110111 11011111 01010101 11011101 11010101 11110111 11010101 11111101 11011101 1111111 01111001 1010011111 11111101 101011101 01110101 11110111 10111111 01111101 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,544 |
Words | 287 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 14, 14, 14 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 393 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 94 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 106 Views
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"Grey-eyed mabel" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10196/grey-eyed-mabel>.
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