Analysis of Dell And I



In a mansion grand, just over the way,
Lives bonny, beautiful Dell;
You may have heard of this lady gay,
For she is a famous belle.
I live in a low cot opposite,
You never have heard of me;
For when the lady moon shines bright,
Who would a pale star see?
But ah, well, ah, well! I am happier far than Dell,
As strange as that may be.

Dell has robes of the richest kind-
Pinks and purples and blues.
And she worries her maid and frets her mind
To know which one to choose.
Which shall it be now, silk or lace?
In which will I be most fair?
She stands by the mirror with anxious face,
And her maid looks on in despair.
Ah, well, ah, well! I am not worried, you see, like Dell,
For I have but
one
to wear.

Dell has lovers of every grade,
Of every age and style;
Suitors flutter about the maid,
And bask in her word and smile.
She keeps them all, with a coquette's art,
As suits her mood or mirth,
And vainly wonders if in one heart
Of all true love has birth.
Ah, well, ah, well! I never question myself like Dell,
For I
know
a true heart's worth.

Pleasure to Dell seems stale and old,
Often she sits and sighs;
Life to me is a tale untold,
Each day is a glad surprise.
Dell with marry, of course, some day
After her belleship is run;
She will cavil the matter in worldly way
And wed Dame Fortune's son.
But, ah, well, sweet to tell, I shall not dally and choose like Dell,
For I love and am loved by-
one
.


Scheme ababcdxdbd efefghghbcIh jkjklmlmbnxm opopaiaibnI
Poetic Form
Metre 0010111001 1101001 111111101 1110101 110011100 1101111 11010111 110111 1111111100111 111111 11110101 101001 0110010101 111111 11111111 0111111 1110101101 00111001 1111111101111 1111 1 11 111011001 1100101 10100101 0100101 11111011 110111 010101011 111111 111111010111 11 1 0111 10111101 101101 11110101 1110101 11101111 100111 1110100101 011101 111111111100111 1110111 1 1
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,369
Words 286
Sentences 19
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 10, 12, 12, 12
Lines Amount 46
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 264
Words per stanza (avg) 71
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:26 min read
55

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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