Analysis of Not A Child
Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837 (London) – 1909 (London)
'Not a child: I call myself a boy,'
Says my king, with accent stern yet mild,
Now nine years have brought him change of joy;
'Not a child.'
How could reason be so far beguiled,
Err so far from sense's safe employ,
Stray so wide of truth, or run so wild?
Seeing his face bent over book or toy,
Child I called him, smiling: but he smiled
Back, as one too high for vain annoy -
Not a child.
Not a child? alack the year!
What should ail an undefiled
Heart, that he would fain appear
Not a child?
Men, with years and memories piled
Each on other, far and near,
Fain again would so be styled:
Fain would cast off hope and fear,
Rest, forget, be reconciled:
Why would you so fain be, dear,
Not a child?
Child or boy, my darling, which you will,
Still your praise finds heart and song employ,
Heart and song both yearning toward you still,
Child or boy.
All joys else might sooner pall or cloy
Love than this which inly takes its fill,
Dear, of sight of your more perfect joy.
Nay, be aught you please, let all fulfil
All your pleasure; be your world your toy:
Mild or wild we love you, loud or still,
Child or boy.
Scheme | abaB bab abaB cbcB bcb cbcB dadA ada dadA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111101 111101111 111111111 101 111011101 11111101 111111111 1011110111 111110111 111111101 101 101101 11111 1111101 101 11101001 1110101 1011111 1111101 101110 1111111 101 111110111 111110101 1011100111 111 111110111 11111111 111111011 11111111 111011111 111111111 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,104 |
Words | 223 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 93 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 126 Views
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