Analysis of A Song. Go Tell Amynta, Gentle Swain

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



1.
Go tell Amynta, gentle swain,
I would not die, nor dare complain.
Thy tuneful voice with numbers join,
Thy voice will more prevail than mine;
For souls opprest and dumb with grief,
The gods ordain'd this kind relief.
That music should in sounds convey
What dying lovers dare not say.

2.
A sigh or tear perhaps she'll give,
But love on pity cannot live:
Tell her that hearts for hearts were made,
And love with love is only paid,
Tell her my pains so fast increase
That soon it will be past redress;
For the wretch that speechless lies,
Attends but death to close his eyes.


Scheme ABBXXCCDD AXXEEXXFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1 111101 11111101 11011101 11110111 1110111 01011101 11010101 11010111 1 01110111 11110101 10111101 01111101 10111101 11111101 1011101 01111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 566
Words 109
Sentences 7
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 9, 9
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 225
Words per stanza (avg) 54
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

33 sec read
110

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. more…

All John Dryden poems | John Dryden Books

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