Analysis of Written in a Lady's Album

Joseph Rodman Drake 1795 (New York City) – 1820 (New York City)



Grant me, I cried, some spell of art,
To turn with all a lover's care,
That spotless page, my Eva's heart,
And write my burning wishes there.

But Love, by faithless Laia taught
How frail is woman's holiest vow,
Look'd down, while grace attempered thought
Sate serious on his baby brow.

"Go! blot her album," cried the sage,
"There none but bards a place may claim;
But woman's heart's a worthless page,
Where every fool may write his name."

Until by time or fate decayed,
That line and leaf shall never part;
Ah! who can tell how soon shall fade
The lines of love from woman's heart.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GAGA
Poetic Form Pantoum 
Quatrain 
Metre 11111111 11110101 11011101 01110101 111111 111101001 111111 110011101 11010101 11110111 11010101 110011111 01111101 11011101 11111111 01111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 591
Words 111
Sentences 7
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 111
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
105

Joseph Rodman Drake

Joseph Rodman Drake was an early American poet. more…

All Joseph Rodman Drake poems | Joseph Rodman Drake Books

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