Analysis of On Sending My Son, As A Present, To Dr. Swift, Dean Of St. Patrick's, On His Birth--Day.
Mary Barber 1685 – 1755
A Curious Statue, we are told,
Is priz'd above its Weight in Gold;
If the fair Form the Hand confess
Of Phidias, or Praxiteles:
But if the Artist could inspire
The smallest Spark of heav'nly Fire,
Tho' but enough to make it walk,
Salute the Company, or talk;
This would advance the Price so high,
What Prince were rich enough to buy?
Such if Hibernia could obtain,
She sure would give it to the Dean:
So to her Patriot should she pay
Her Thanks upon his natal Day.
A richer Present I design,
A finish'd Form, of Work divine,
Surpassing all the Power of Art,
A thinking Head, and grateful Heart,
An Heart, that hopes, one Day, to show
How much we to the Drapier owe.
Kings could not send a nobler Gift;
A meaner were unworthy Swift.
Scheme | AABBXXCCDDXXEE FFGGHH II |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01001111 11011101 10110101 1111 11010101 01011110 11011111 01010011 11010111 11010111 11100101 11111101 110100111 01011101 01010101 01011101 010101011 01010101 11111111 1111011 11110101 01000101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 718 |
Words | 140 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 14, 6, 2 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 188 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 103 Views
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"On Sending My Son, As A Present, To Dr. Swift, Dean Of St. Patrick's, On His Birth--Day." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26629/on-sending-my-son%2C-as-a-present%2C-to-dr.-swift%2C-dean-of-st.-patrick%27s%2C-on-his-birth--day.>.
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