Analysis of Weep Not Too Much

Anne Brontë 1820 (Thornton, West Yorkshire) – 1849 (Scarborough, North Yorkshire)



Weep not too much, my darling;
            Sigh not too oft for me;
Say not the face of Nature
            Has lost its charm for thee.
I have enough of anguish
            In my own breast alone;
Thou canst not ease the burden, Love,
            By adding still thine own.
I know the faith and fervour
            Of that true heart of thine;
But I would have it hopeful
            As thou wouldst render mine.
At night, when I lie waking,
            More soothing it will be
To say 'She slumbers calmly now,'
            Than say 'She weeps for me.'

When through the prison grating
            The holy moonbeams shine,
And I am wildly longing
            To see the orb divine
Not crossed, deformed, and sullied
            By those relentless bars
That will not show the crescent moon,
            And scarce the twinkling stars,

It is my only comfort
            To think, that unto thee
The sight is not forbidden --
            The face of heaven is free.
If I could think Zerona
            Is gazing upward now --
Is gazing with a tearless eye
            A calm unruffled brow;

That moon upon her spirit
            Sheds sweet, celestial balm, --
The thought, like Angel's whisper,
            My misery would calm.
And when, at early morning,
            A faint flush comes to me,
Reflected from those glowing skies
            I almost weep to see;

Or when I catch the murmur
            Of gently swaying trees,
Or hear the louder swelling
            Of the soul-inspiring breeze,
And pant to feel its freshness
            Upon my burning brow,
Or sigh to see the twinkling leaf,
            And watch the waving bough;

If, from these fruitless yearnings
            Thou wouldst deliver me,
Say that the charms of Nature
            Are lovely still to thee;
While I am thus repining,
            O! let me but believe,
'These pleasures are not lost to her,'
            And I will cease to grieve.

O, scorn not Nature's bounties!
            My soul partakes with thee.
Drink bliss from all her fountains,
            Drink for thyself and me!
Say not, 'My soul is buried
            In dungeon gloom with thine;'
But say, 'His heart is here with me;
            His spirit drinks with mine.'


Scheme ABCBXDXDCEXEABFB AEAEGHXH XBXBDFXF XICIABXB CJAJXFXF XBCBAKCK JBXBGEBE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110 111111 1101110 111111 1101110 011101 11110101 110111 110101 111111 1111110 111101 1111110 110111 1111101 111111 1101010 01011 0111010 110101 1101010 110101 11110101 0101001 1111010 111101 0111100 0111011 11111 110101 1101011 010101 1101010 110101 011110 110011 0111010 011111 01011101 11111 1111010 110101 1101010 1010101 0111110 011101 111101001 010101 1111010 110101 1101110 110111 11111 111101 11011110 011111 1111010 11111 1111010 11101 1111110 010111 11111111 110111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 2,163
Words 352
Sentences 15
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 16, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 64
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 202
Words per stanza (avg) 49
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:44 min read
114

Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. more…

All Anne Brontë poems | Anne Brontë Books

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