Analysis of Upon Honour. A Fragment.

Matthew Prior 1664 – 1721



Honour, I say, or honest Fame,
I mean the substance, not the name;
(Not that light heap of tawdry wares,
Ermin, Coronets, and Stars,
Which often is by merit sought,
By gold and flatt'ry oft'ner bought.
The shade, for which Ambition looks,
In Selden's or in Ashmole's books):
But the true glory which proceeds,
Reflected bright from honest deeds,
Which we in our Own breast perceive,
And Kings can neither take nor give.


Scheme AABCDEFFGGHI
Poetic Form
Metre 1111101 11010101 11111101 1010101 11011101 110111 01110101 011011 10110101 01011101 110101101 01110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 426
Words 75
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 323
Words per stanza (avg) 73
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

23 sec read
363

Matthew Prior

Matthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat. more…

All Matthew Prior poems | Matthew Prior Books

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