Analysis of To Miss --,
Samuel Johnson 1709 (Lichfield) – 1784 (London)
{On her playing upon the harpsichord in
a room hung with flower-pieces of her own painting}.
When Stella strikes the tuneful string
In scenes of imitated Spring,
Where beauty lavishes her powers
On beds of never-fading flowers,
And pleasure propagates around
Each charm of modulated sound;
Ah! think not in the dangerous hour,
The nymph fictitious as the flower;
But shun, rash youth, the gay alcove,
Nor tempt the snares of wily love.
When charms thus press on every sense,
What thought of flight or of defence?
Deceitful hope, and vain desire,
For ever flutter o'er her lyre,
Delighting as the youth draws nigh,
To point the glances of her eye,
And forming with unerring art
New chains to hold the captive heart.
But on those regions of delight,
Might truth intrude with daring flight,
Could Stella, sprightly, fair, and young,
One moment hear the moral song,
Instruction with her flowers might spring,
And wisdom warble from her string.
Mark when from thousand mingled dyes
Thou seest one pleasing form arise,
How active light and thoughtful shade,
In greater scenes each other aid;
Mark when the different notes agree
In friendly contrariety,
How passion's well-accorded strife
Gives all the harmony of life.
Thy pictures shall thy conduct frame,
Consistent still, though not the same;
Thy music teach the nobler art,
To tune the regulated heart.
Scheme | XA AABBCCDDXXEEDXFFGGHHXXAAIIJJXCKKLLGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1010010100 0111101010110 11010101 0111001 110100010 111101010 010101 11110001 1110010010 010101010 1111011 11011101 111111001 11111101 010101010 110101001 01010111 11010101 010111 11110101 11110101 11011101 11010101 11010101 010101011 01010101 11110101 11110101 11010101 01011101 110100101 0101 1110101 11010011 11011011 01011101 11010101 1101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,322 |
Words | 227 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 36 |
Lines Amount | 38 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 541 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 113 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 12, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 169 Views
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"To Miss --," Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/34207/to-miss---%2C>.
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