Analysis of Prelude



How could I love you more?
I would give up
Even that beauty I have loved too well
That I might love you better.
Alas, how poor the gifts that lovers give
I can but give you of my flesh and strength,
I can but give you these few passing days
And passionate words that, since our speech began,
All lovers whisper in all ladies' ears.

I try to think of some one lovely gift
No lover yet in all the world has found;
I think: If the cold sombre gods
Were hot with love as I am
Could they not endow you with a star
And fix bright youth for ever in your limbs?
Could they not give you all things that I lack?

You should have loved a god; I am but dust.
Yet no god loves as loves this poor frail dust.


Scheme XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX AA
Poetic Form
Metre 111111 1111 1011011111 1111110 0111011101 1111111101 1111111101 010011110101 1101001101 1111111101 1101010111 1110111 0111111 111011101 0111110011 1111111111 1111011111 1111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 699
Words 147
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 9, 7, 2
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 178
Words per stanza (avg) 48
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

44 sec read
199

Richard Aldington

Richard Aldington, born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet. more…

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    A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using "like" or "as" is called a _______.
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    B metaphor
    C simile
    D personification