Analysis of The Faire Begger
Richard Lovelace 1618 – 1657
I.
Comanding asker, if it be
Pity that you faine would have,
Then I turne begger unto thee,
And aske the thing that thou dost crave.
I will suffice thy hungry need,
So thou wilt but my fancy feed.
II.
In all ill yeares, was ever knowne
On so much beauty such a dearth?
Which, in that thrice-bequeathed gowne,
Lookes like the Sun eclipst with Earth,
Like gold in canvas, or with dirt
Unsoyled Ermins close begirt.
III.
Yet happy he, that can but tast
This whiter skin, who thirsty is!
Fooles dote on sattin motions lac'd:
The gods go naked in their blisse.
At th' barrell's head there shines the vine,
There only relishes the wine.
IV.
There quench my heat, and thou shalt sup
Worthy the lips that it must touch,
Nectar from out the starry cup:
I beg thy breath not halfe so much.
So both our wants supplied shall be,
You'l give for love, I, charity.
V.
Cheape then are pearle-imbroderies,
That not adorne, but cloud thy wast;
Thou shalt be cloath'd above all prise,
If thou wilt promise me imbrac't.
Wee'l ransack neither chest nor shelfe:
Ill cover thee with mine owne selfe.
VI.
But, cruel, if thou dost deny
This necessary almes to me,
What soft-soul'd man but with his eye
And hand will hence be shut to thee?
Since all must judge you more unkinde:
I starve your body, you, my minde.
Scheme | ABCBXDD AEFEFXD ADGXGEE CHIHIBB BGDGDCC AABABDD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 110111 1011111 1111101 01011111 11011101 11111101 1 01111101 11110101 1011011 1101111 11010111 1111 1 11011111 11011101 1111101 01110011 111111101 11010001 1 11110111 10011111 10110101 11111111 111010111 111111100 1 11111 1111111 11110111 1111011 11110111 11011111 1 11011101 1100111 11111111 01111111 1111111 11110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,378 |
Words | 241 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 165 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:14 min read
- 82 Views
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"The Faire Begger" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30224/the-faire-begger>.
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