Analysis of Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae
Ernest Christopher Dowson 1867 – 1900
Last night, ah, yesternight, betwixt her lips and mine
There fell thy shadow, Cynara! thy breath was shed
Upon my soul between the kisses and the wine;
And I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, I was desolate and bowed my head:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
All night upon mine heart I felt her warm heart beat,
Night-long within mine arms in love and sleep she lay;
Surely the kisses of her bought red mouth were sweet;
But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
When I awoke and found the dawn was gray:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind,
Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng,
Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind;
But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, all the time, because the dance was long:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
I cried for madder music and for stronger wine,
But when the feast is finished and the lamps expire,
Then falls thy shadow, Cynara! the night is thine;
And I am desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, hungry for the lips of my desire:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.
Scheme | abacbC dedCeC fgfCgC axacxC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010101 11110101111 011101010001 0111000111110 1111000111 11110110100110 110111110111 110111010111 100101011101 1111000111110 1101010111 11110110100110 110110101101 110101101 101111110111 1111000111110 1101010111 11110110100110 111101001101 110111000101 11110100111 0111000111110 11010111010 11110110100110 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,185 |
Words | 228 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 226 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 57 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 14, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 141 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Non Sum Qualis eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12801/non-sum-qualis-eram-bonae-sub-regno-cynarae>.
Discuss this Ernest Christopher Dowson 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