Analysis of Horace to phyllis
Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)
Come, Phyllis, I've a cask of wine
That fairly reeks with precious juices,
And in your tresses you shall twine
The loveliest flowers this vale produces.
My cottage wears a gracious smile,--
The altar, decked in floral glory,
Yearns for the lamb which bleats the while
As though it pined for honors gory.
Hither our neighbors nimbly fare,--
The boys agog, the maidens snickering;
And savory smells possess the air
As skyward kitchen flames are flickering.
You ask what means this grand display,
This festive throng, and goodly diet?
Well, since you're bound to have your way,
I don't mind telling, on the quiet.
'Tis April 13, as you know,--
A day and month devote to Venus,
Whereon was born, some years ago,
My very worthy friend Maecenas.
Nay, pay no heed to Telephus,--
Your friends agree he doesn't love you;
The way he flirts convinces us
He really is not worthy of you!
Aurora's son, unhappy lad!
You know the fate that overtook him?
And Pegasus a rider had--
I say he had before he shook him!
Haec docet (as you must agree):
'T is meet that Phyllis should discover
A wisdom in preferring me
And mittening every other lover.
So come, O Phyllis, last and best
Of loves with which this heart's been smitten,--
Come, sing my jealous fears to rest,
And let your songs be those I've written.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIB BKJK LMLM DNDN OPOP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 11010111 110111010 00110111 011011010 11010101 010101010 11011101 111111010 101010101 0101010100 010010101 1101011100 11111101 110101010 11111111 111101010 110111 010101110 1111101 1101011 111111 110111011 01110101 110111011 110101 11011011 01000101 111101111 1111101 1111101010 01000101 011001010 11110101 111111110 11110111 011111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,282 |
Words | 238 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 111 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:13 min read
- 88 Views
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"Horace to phyllis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12967/horace-to-phyllis>.
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