Analysis of To His Forsaken Mistress



I DO confess thou'rt smooth and fair,
 And I might have gone near to love thee,
Had I not found the slightest prayer
 That lips could move, had power to move thee;
But I can let thee now alone
As worthy to be loved by none.

I do confess thou'rt sweet; yet find
 Thee such an unthrift of thy sweets,
Thy favours are but like the wind
 That kisseth everything it meets:
And since thou canst with more than one,
Thou'rt worthy to be kiss'd by none.

The morning rose that untouch'd stands
 Arm'd with her briers, how sweet she smells!
But pluck'd and strain'd through ruder hands,
 Her sweets no longer with her dwells:
But scent and beauty both are gone,
And leaves fall from her, one by one.

Such fate ere long will thee betide
 When thou hast handled been awhile,
With sere flowers to be thrown aside;
 And I shall sigh, while some will smile,
To see thy love to every one
Hath brought thee to be loved by none.


Scheme ABABXC DEDECC FGFGXC HIHICC
Poetic Form
Metre 11011101 011111111 11110101 1111110111 11111101 11011111 11011111 1111111 1111101 111011 01111111 11011111 01011011 11011111 11011101 01110101 11010111 01110111 11111101 11110101 111011101 01111111 111111001 11111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 895
Words 175
Sentences 6
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 175
Words per stanza (avg) 43
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

54 sec read
85

Sir Robert Aytoun

Sir Robert Aytoun or Ayton was a Scottish poet. more…

All Sir Robert Aytoun poems | Sir Robert Aytoun Books

0 fans

Discuss this Sir Robert Aytoun poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "To His Forsaken Mistress" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35389/to-his-forsaken-mistress>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Sir Robert Aytoun

    »

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    27
    days
    1
    hour
    58
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "No Man Is An Island"?
    A Robert Browning
    B Ezra Pound
    C Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    D John Donne