Analysis of Sonnet VII

Louise Labe 1525 (Lyon) – 1566 (Lyon)



All love is seen to fade and pass away.
When soul blends body by most subtle art,
I am the body, you the better part.
But O my well-loved soul, why did you stray ?

Why can't I always swoon with pleasure in
Your arms? My love, my better part, my soul,
O rescue me from drowning, even though
I know so well how badly I have sinned.

Dear friend, I sense there's something in the air
Of hunger lost. And if at last we meet
Again, please don't be cold, remote, discreet.

I am afraid our long concealed affair
Is willed to play out with a formal grace,
Both kind and cruel, never commonplace.


Scheme ABBA XXXX CDD CEE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110101 1111011101 1101010101 1111111111 111111100 1111110111 1101110101 1111110111 1111110001 1101011111 0111110101 11011010101 1111110101 110101010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 581
Words 116
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 112
Words per stanza (avg) 29
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

35 sec read
333

Louise Labe

Louise Labé, also identified as La Belle Cordière, was a female French poet of the Renaissance, born in Lyon, the daughter of a rich ropemaker, Pierre Charly, and his second wife, Etiennette Roybet. A recent book has argued that the poetry ascribed to her was a feminist creation of a number of French male poets of the Renaissance. more…

All Louise Labe poems | Louise Labe Books

0 fans

Discuss this Louise Labe poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sonnet VII" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26186/sonnet-vii>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    17
    days
    21
    hours
    24
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Still I Rise"?
    A Maya Angelou
    B Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    C Dylan Thomas
    D Robert Burns