Analysis of To a Lady
Matthew Prior 1664 – 1721
Spare, gen'rous victor, spare the slave,
Who did unequal war pursue;
That more than triumph he might have,
In being overcome by you.
In the dispute whate'er I said,
My heart was by my tongue belied;
And in my looks you might have read
How much I argued on your side.
You, far from danger as from fear,
Might have sustain'd an open fight:
For seldom your opinions err:
Your eyes are always in the right.
Why, fair one, would you not rely
On Reason's force with Beauty's join'd?
Could I their prevalence deny,
I must at once be deaf and blind.
Alas! not hoping to subdue,
I only to the fight aspir'd:
To keep the beauteous foe in view
Was all the glory I desir'd.
But she, howe'er of vict'ry sure.
Contemns the wreath too long delay'd;
And, arm'd with more immediate pow'r,
Calls cruel silence to her aid.
Deeper to wound, she shuns the fight:
She drops her arms, to gain the field:
Secures her conquest by her flight;
And triumphs, when she seems to yield.
So when the Parthian turn'd his steed,
And from the hostile camp withdrew;
With cruel skill the backward reed
He sent; and as he fled, he slew.
Scheme | XAXA BCBC XDXD EXEX AXAX XFXF DGDG HAHA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (75%) |
Metre | 1110101 11010101 11110111 0101011 00011011 11111101 00111111 11110111 11110111 11011101 11010101 1111001 11111101 111111 11110001 11111101 01110101 11010101 1101101 110101010 1110111 1011101 0111010011 11010101 10111101 11011101 01010101 01011111 110100111 01010101 11010101 11011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,076 |
Words | 207 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 105 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 41 Views
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"To a Lady" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/27462/to-a-lady>.
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