Analysis of Two Robbers

Francis William Bourdillon 1852 (Runcorn) – 1921



When Death from some fair face
Is stealing life away,
All weep, save she, the grace
That earth shall lose today.

When Time from some fair face
Steals beauty year by year,
For her slow-fading grace
Who sheds, save she, a tear?

And Death not often dares
To wake the world's distress;
While Time, the cunning, mars
Surely all loveliness.

Yet though by breath and breath
Fades all thy fairest prime,
Men shrink from cruel Death,
But honor crafty Time.


Scheme ABAB AXAX XXXA CDCD
Poetic Form Quatrain  (50%)
Metre 111111 110101 111101 111101 111111 110111 101101 111101 011101 110101 110101 1011 111101 111101 111101 110101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 440
Words 82
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 88
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
301

Francis William Bourdillon

Francis William Bourdillon was a British poet and translator. more…

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