Analysis of Calm was the even, and clear was the sky

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



Calm was the even, and clear was the sky,
     And the new budding flowers did spring,
   When all alone went Amyntas and I
     To hear the sweet nightingale sing;
   I sate, and he laid him down by me;
     But scarcely his breath he could draw;
   For when with a fear, he began to draw near,
     He was dash'd with A ha ha ha ha!

He blush'd to himself, and lay still for a while,
    And his modesty curb'd his desire;
  But straight I convinc'd all his fear with a smile,
    Which added new flames to his fire.
  O Silvia, said he, you are cruel,
    To keep your poor lover in awe;
  Then once more he press'd with his hand to my breast,
    But was dash'd with A ha ha ha ha!

I knew 'twas his passion that caus'd all his fear;
    And therefore I pitied his case:
  I whisper'd him softly, there's nobody near,
    And laid my cheek close to his face:
  But as he grew bolder and bolder,
    A shepherd came by us and saw;
  And just as our bliss we began with a kiss,
    He laugh'd out with A ha ha ha ha!


Scheme ABABXCDE FGFGXEXE DHDHGCXE
Poetic Form
Metre 1101001101 001101011 11011101 11011001 110111111 11011111 11101101111 111101111 11101011101 0110011010 11101111101 110111110 1100111110 11111001 11111111111 111101111 11111011111 011111 110110111 01111111 111110010 01011101 011101101101 111101111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,008
Words 197
Sentences 5
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 236
Words per stanza (avg) 65
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
147

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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