Analysis of Sleepy Harry

Jane Taylor 1783 (London) – 1824



"I do not like to go to bed,"
Sleepy little Harry said;
"Go, naughty Betty, go away,
I will not come at all, I say! "

Oh, silly child! what is he saying?
As if he could be always playing!
Then, Betty, you must come and carry
This very foolish little Harry.

The little birds are better taught,
They go to roosting when they ought:
And all the ducks, and fowls, you know,
They went to bed an hour ago.

The little beggar in the street,
Who wanders with his naked feet,
And has not where to lay his head,
Oh, he'd be glad to go to bed.


Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF GGAA
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11111111 1010101 11010101 11111111 110111110 11111110 110111010 110101010 01011101 1111111 01010111 111111001 01010001 11011101 01111111 11111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 533
Words 111
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 99
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

33 sec read
96

Jane Taylor

Jane Taylor was an English poet and novelist. She wrote the words to the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", which is widely known, but it is generally forgotten who wrote it. more…

All Jane Taylor poems | Jane Taylor Books

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