Analysis of Peggy

John Clare 1793 (Helpston) – 1864 (St Andrew's Hospital)



Peggy said good morning and I said good bye,
When farmers dib the corn and laddies sow the rye.
Young Peggy's face was common sense and I was rather shy
When I met her in the morning when the farmers sow the rye.

Her half laced boots fit tightly as she tripped along the grass,
And she set her foot so lightly where the early bee doth pass.
Oh Peggy was a young thing, her face was common sense,
I courted her about the spring and loved her ever thence.

Oh Peggy was the young thing and bonny as to size;
Her lips were cherries of the spring and hazel were her eyes.
Oh Peggy she was straight and tall as is the poplar tree,
Smooth as the freestone of the wall, and very dear to me.

Oh Peggy's gown was chocolate and full of cherries white;
I keep a bit on't for her sake and love her day and night.
I drest myself just like a prince and Peggy went to woo,
But she's been gone some ten years since, and I know not what to do.


Scheme AAAA BBCC DDEE FFGG
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 10111001111 11010101101 1111101011101 111000101010101 01111101110101 011011101010111 1101011011101 11000101010101 1101011010111 01010101010001 11011101110101 1101101010111 111110011101 110111101010101 1111101010111 111111110111111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 918
Words 190
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 45
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 179
Words per stanza (avg) 47
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

58 sec read
112

John Clare

John Clare was an English poet in his time he was commonly known as the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet more…

All John Clare poems | John Clare Books

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