Analysis of A Farewell to False Love

Sir Walter Raleigh 1552 (Hayes Barton, East Budleigh, Devon) – 1618 (London)



Farewell, false love, the oracle of lies,
A mortal foe and enemy to rest,
An envious boy, from whom all cares arise,
A bastard vile, a beast with rage possessed,
A way of error, a temple full of treason,
In all effects contrary unto reason.

A poisoned serpent covered all with flowers,
Mother of sighs, and murderer of repose,
A sea of sorrows whence are drawn such showers
As moisture lend to every grief that grows;
A school of guile, a net of deep deceit,
A gilded hook that holds a poisoned bait.

A fortress foiled, which reason did defend,
A siren song, a fever of the mind,
A maze wherein affection finds no end,
A raging cloud that runs before the wind,
A substance like the shadow of the sun,
A goal of grief for which the wisest run.

A quenchless fire, a nurse of trembling fear,
A path that leads to peril and mishap,
A true retreat of sorrow and despair,
An idle boy that sleeps in pleasure's lap,
A deep mistrust of that which certain seems,
A hope of that which reason doubtful deems.

Sith then thy trains my younger years betrayed,
And for my faith ingratitude I find;
And sith repentance hath my wrongs bewrayed,
Whose course was ever contrary to kind:
False love, desire, and beauty frail, adieu.
Dead is the root whence all these fancies grew.


Scheme ABABCC DEDEXX FGFGCC XHXHII XGBGJJ
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 111010011 0101010011 11001111101 0101011101 011100101110 01011001010 01010101110 10110100101 01110111110 11011100111 0111011101 0101110101 0101110101 0101010101 0101010111 0101110101 010101101 0111110101 01100111001 011111001 0101110001 110111011 0101111101 0111110101 1111110101 0111111 010101111 1111010011 11010010101 1101111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,265
Words 234
Sentences 7
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 197
Words per stanza (avg) 46
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:10 min read
70

Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh, also spelled Ralegh, was an English landed gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer. more…

All Sir Walter Raleigh poems | Sir Walter Raleigh Books

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