Analysis of Written For A Gentlewoman In Distress, To Her Grace Adelida, Dutchess Of Shrewsbury.
Might I inquire the Reasons of my Fate,
Or with my Maker dare expostulate;
Did I, in prosp'rous Days, despise the Poor,
Or drive the friendless Stranger from my Door?
Was not my Soul pour'd out for the Distress'd?
Did I not vindicate the Poor oppress'd?
Did not the Orphan's Cry with me prevail?
Did I not weep the Woes I could not heal?
Why then, Thou gracious, Thou all--pow'rful God,
Why do I feel th' Oppressor's Iron Rod?
Why thus the Scorners cruel Taunts endure,
Who basely fret the Wounds, they will not cure?
O Thou, whose Mercy does to All extend,
Say, shall my Sorrows never, never, end?
Let not my Tears for ever, fruitless, flow;
Commiserate a Wretch, o'erwhelm'd with Woe;
No longer let Distress my Bosom tear:
O shield me from the Horrors of Despair!
Forgive me, Madam, that I thus impart
The Throbs, the Anguish, of a breaking Heart.
Oft, when my weary'd Eyes can weep no more,
To sooth my Woes, I read your Letters o'er.
Goodness, and Wit, and Humour, there I find;
And view with Joy those Pictures of your Mind;
With Pleasure on the lov'd Resemblance gaze,
Till peaceful Slumbers on my Eye--lids seize.
Then, then, Imagination glads my Sight
With transient Images of past Delight;
My aking Heart of ev'ry Care beguiles;
Then Talbot lives, and Adelida smiles.
Delightful Forms! why will you fleet away,
And leave me to the Terrors of the Day?
In vain from Reason I expect Relief;
For sad Reflection doubles ev'ry Grief.
Some of my Friends in Death's cold Arms I see;
Others, tho, living, yet are dead to me?
Of Friends, and Children both, I am bereft,
And soon must lose the only Blessing left;
A Husband form'd for Tenderness and Truth,
The lov'd, the kind Companion of my Youth;
With him, thro' various Storms of Fate I pass'd;
Relentless Fate!--And must we part at last?
O King of Terrors, I invoke thy Pow'r;
Oh! stand between me and that dreadful Hour;
From that sad Hour thy wretched Suppliant save;
Oh! shield me from it!--Hide me in the Grave!
Scheme | AAXBCCXXDDEEFFGGHH IIBJKKLXMMLX NNOOPPQQRRSSXJTT |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010111 1111011 110110101 110110111 1111111001 1111000101 110111101 1111011111 111101111 1111111101 110110101 111011111 1111011101 1111010101 1111110101 01001111 1101011101 1111010101 0111011101 0101010101 111111111 11111111010 100101111 0111110111 1101010101 110111111 110010111 1101001101 1111111 1101011 0101111101 0111010101 0111010101 110101011 1111011111 1011011111 1101011101 0111010101 0101110001 0101010111 11110011111 0101011111 11110101111 11011011010 1111011011 1111111001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,931 |
Words | 359 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 18, 12, 16 |
Lines Amount | 46 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 501 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 118 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:53 min read
- 110 Views
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"Written For A Gentlewoman In Distress, To Her Grace Adelida, Dutchess Of Shrewsbury." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26702/written-for-a-gentlewoman-in-distress%2C-to-her-grace-adelida%2C-dutchess-of-shrewsbury.>.
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