Analysis of The Song Of Courtesy
George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)
When Sir Gawain was led to his bridal-bed,
By Arthur's knights in scorn God-sped:-
How think you he felt?
O the bride within
Was yellow and dry as a snake's old skin;
Loathly as sin!
Scarcely faceable,
Quite unembraceable;
With a hog's bristle on a hag's chin! -
Gentle Gawain felt as should we,
Little of Love's soft fire knew he:
But he was the Knight of Courtesy.
When that evil lady he lay beside
Bade him turn to greet his bride,
What think you he did?
O, to spare her pain,
And let not his loathing her loathliness vain
Mirror too plain,
Sadly, sighingly,
Almost dyingly,
Turned he and kissed her once and again.
Like Sir Gawain, gentles, should we?
SILENT, ALL! But for pattern agree
There's none like the Knight of Courtesy.
Sir Gawain sprang up amid laces and curls:
Kisses are not wasted pearls:-
What clung in his arms?
O, a maiden flower,
Burning with blushes the sweet bride-bower,
Beauty her dower!
Breathing perfumingly;
Shall I live bloomingly,
Said she, by day, or the bridal hour?
Thereat he clasped her, and whispered he,
Thine, rare bride, the choice shall be.
Said she, Twice blest is Courtesy!
Of gentle Sir Gawain they had no sport,
When it was morning in Arthur's court;
What think you they cried?
Now, life and eyes!
This bride is the very Saint's dream of a prize,
Fresh from the skies!
See ye not, Courtesy
Is the true Alchemy,
Turning to gold all it touches and tries?
Like the true knight, so may we
Make the basest that there be
Beautiful by Courtesy!
Scheme | AAXBBBCCBDDD EEXFFFCCXDDD GGXHHXCCHDDD IIEJJJDDJDDD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101111101 11010111 11111 10101 1100110111 111 101 11 101101011 10101111 101111011 111011100 1110101101 1111111 11111 11101 011110011 1011 101 11 110101001 11101011 101111001 111011100 11011011001 1011101 11011 101010 1011001110 1001 101 1111 1111101010 11100101 1110111 11111100 1101101111 111100101 11111 1101 11101011101 1101 111100 101100 1011111001 1011111 101111 1001100 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,501 |
Words | 277 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 286 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 67 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:25 min read
- 96 Views
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"The Song Of Courtesy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15657/the-song-of-courtesy>.
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