Analysis of Idea XX: An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still

Michael Drayton 1563 (Hartshill) – 1631 (London)



An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still,
   Wherewith, alas, I have been long possess'd,
   Which ceaseth not to tempt me to each ill,
   Nor gives me once but one poor minute's rest.
   In me it speaks, whether I sleep or wake;
   And when by means to drive it out I try,
   With greater torments then it me doth take,
   And tortures me in most extremity.
   Before my face it lays down my despairs,
  And hastes me on unto a sudden death;
  Now tempting me to drown myself in tears,
  And then in sighing to give up my breath.
  Thus am I still provok'd to every evil
  By this good-wicked spirit, sweet angel-devil.


Scheme ABABCDCEFGFGHH
Poetic Form
Metre 11010110111 101111101 111111111 1111111101 0111101111 0111111111 110111111 0101010100 0111111101 0111100101 110111101 0101011111 111101110010 111101011010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 115
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 454
Words per stanza (avg) 113
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
53

Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. more…

All Michael Drayton poems | Michael Drayton Books

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    "Idea XX: An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28102/idea-xx%3A-an-evil-spirit%2C-your-beauty%2C-haunts-me-still>.

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