Analysis of Upon The Saying That My Verses Were Made By Another
Anne Killigrew 1660 (London) – 1685 (London)
Next Heaven my Vows to thee (O Sacred Muse!)
I offer'd up, nor didst thou them refuse.
O Queen of Verse, said I, if thou'lt inspire,
And warm my Soul with thy Poetique Fire,
No Love of Gold shall share with thee my Heart,
Or yet Ambition in my Brest have Part,
More Rich, more Noble I will ever hold
The Muses Laurel, than a Crown of Gold.
An Undivided Sacrifice I'le lay
Upon thine Altar, Soul and Body pay;
Thou shalt my Pleasure, my Employment be,
My All I'le make a Holocaust to thee.
The Deity that ever does attend
Prayers so sincere, to mine did condescend.
I writ, and the Judicious prais'd my Pen:
Could any doubt Insuing Glory then?
What pleasing Raptures fill'd my Ravisht Sense?
How strong, how Sweet, Fame, was thy Influence?
And thine, False Hope, that to my flatter'd sight
Didst Glories represent so Near, and Bright?
By thee deceiv'd, methought, each Verdant Tree,
Apollos transform'd Daphne seem'd to be;
And ev'ry fresher Branch, and ev'ry Bow
Appear'd as Garlands to empale my Brow.
The Learn'd in Love say, Thus the Winged Boy
Does first approach, drest up in welcome Joy;
At first he to the Cheated Lovers sight
Nought represents, but Rapture and Delight,
Alluring Hopes, Soft Fears, which stronger bind
Their Hearts, than when they more assurance find.
Embolden'd thus, to Fame I did commit,
(By some few hands) my most Unlucky Wit.
But, ah, the sad effects that from it came!
What ought t'have brought me Honour, brought me shame!
Like Esops Painted Jay I seem'd to all,
Adorn'd in Plumes, I not my own could call:
Rifl'd like her, each one my Feathers tore,
And, as they thought, unto the Owner bore.
My Laurels thus an Others Brow adorn'd,
My Numbers they Admir'd, but Me they scorn'd:
An others Brow, that had so rich a store
Of Sacred Wreaths, that circled it before;
Where mine quite lost, (like a small stream that ran
Into a Vast and Boundless Ocean)
Was swallow'd up, with what it joyn'd and drown'd,
And that Abiss yet no Accession found.
Orinda, (Albions and her Sexes Grace)
Ow'd not her Glory to a Beauteous Face,
It was her Radiant Soul that shon With-in,
Which struck a Lustre through her Outward Skin;
That did her Lips and Cheeks with Roses dy,
Advanc't her Height, and Sparkled in her Eye.
Nor did her Sex at all obstruct her Fame,
But higher 'mong the Stars it fixt her Name;
What she did write, not only all allow'd,
But ev'ry Laurel, to her Laurel, bow'd!
Th' Envious Age, only to Me alone,
Will not allow, what I do write, my Own,
But let 'em Rage, and 'gainst a Maide Conspire,
So Deathless Numbers from my Tuneful Lyre
Do ever flow; so Phebus I by thee
Divinely Inspired and possest may be;
I willingly accept Cassandras Fate,
To speak the Truth, although believ'd too late.
Scheme | AA BCDDEEFFGG HHII XXJJGGKKLLJJMM NNOOPP QQRRQQXXSS TTUUDXOOVV WWCBGGXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011111101 1101111101 1111111101 011111110 1111111111 1101001111 1111011101 0101010111 101010101 0111010101 1111010101 1110101011 0100110101 110111101 1100010111 11011101 11011111 1111111100 0111111101 110011101 110111101 10110111 01101011 01111111 010111011 1101110101 1111010101 101110001 0101111101 1111110101 0101111101 1111110101 1101011111 1111111111 111011111 0101111111 1010111101 0111100101 1101110101 11010101111 1101111101 1101110101 1111101111 010101010 1101111101 011110101 010100101 110101011 11010011110 1101010101 1101011101 101010001 1101110101 1101011101 1111110101 111010101 111001101101 1101111111 11110101010 111011101 1101110111 0100100111 1100010101 110110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,684 |
Words | 497 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 10, 4, 14, 6, 10, 10, 8 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 261 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 62 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 30, 2023
- 2:38 min read
- 70 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Upon The Saying That My Verses Were Made By Another" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3230/upon-the-saying-that-my-verses-were-made-by-another>.
Discuss this Anne Killigrew poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In