Analysis of I Loved a Lass
George Wither 1588 (Bentworth) – 1667
I loved a lass, a fair one,
As fair as e’er was seen;
She was indeed a rare one,
Another Sheba Queen:
But, fool as then I was,
I thought she loved me too:
But now, alas! she’s left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
Her hair like gold did glister,
Each eye was like a star,
She did surpass her sister,
Which pass’d all others far;
She would me ‘honey’ call,
She’d—O she’d kiss me too!
But now, alas! she’s left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
In summer time to Medley
My love and I would go;
The boatmen there stood read’ly
My love and me to row.
For cream there would we call,
For cakes and for prunes too;
But now, alas! she’s left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
Her cheeks were like the cherry,
Her skin was white as snow;
When she was blithe and merry
She angel-like did show;
Her waist exceeding small,
The fives did fit her shoe:
But now, alas! she’s left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
In summer time or winter
She had her heart’s desire;
I still did scorn to stint her
From sugar, sack, or fire;
The world went round about,
No cares we ever knew:
But now, alas! she’s left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
To maidens’ vows and swearing
Henceforth no credit give;
You may give them the hearing,
But never them believe;
They are as false as fair,
Unconstant, frail, untrue:
For mine, alas! hath left me,
Falero, lero, loo!
Scheme | ababcdEDffffgdEDehgfgdEDehehgdEDffffidEDjkjlfdeD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011 111111 1101011 010101 111111 111111 1101111 111 011111 111101 1101010 111101 111101 111111 1101111 111 0101110 110111 01111 110111 111111 110111 1101111 111 0101010 011111 1111010 110111 010101 011101 1101111 111 0101110 1101010 1111110 1101110 011101 111101 1101111 111 1101010 111101 1111010 110101 111111 1101 1101111 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,272 |
Words | 248 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 48 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 948 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 246 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 09, 2023
- 1:14 min read
- 75 Views
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"I Loved a Lass" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15819/i-loved-a-lass>.
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