Analysis of A Congratulatory Poem



While my sad Muse the darkest Covert Sought,
To give a loose to Melancholy Thought;
Opprest, and sighing with the Heavy Weight
Of an Unhappy dear Lov'd Monarch's Fate;
A lone retreat, on Thames's Brink she found,
With Murmering Osiers fring'd, and bending Willows Crown'd,
Thro' the thick Shade cou'd dart no Chearful Ray,
Nature dwelt here as in disdain of Day:
Content, and Pleas'd with Nobler Solitude,
No Wood-Gods, Fawns, nor Loves did here Intrude,

Nor Nests for wanton Birds, the Glade allows;
Scarce the soft Winds were heard amongst the Boughs.
While thus She lay resolv'd to tune no more
Her fruitless Songs on Brittains Faithless Shore,
All on a suddain thro' the Woods there Rung,
Loud Sounds of Joy that Jo Peans Sung.
Maria! Blest Maria! was the Theam,
Great Brittains happy Genius, and her Queen.

The River Nimphs their Crystal Courts forsake,
Curl their Blew Locks, and Shelly Trumpets take:

And the surprising News along the Shore,
In raptur'd Songs the wondring Virgins bore;
Whilst Mourning Eccho now forgot her Sighs,
And sung the new taught Anthem to the Skyes.
All things in Nature, a New Face put on,
Thames with Harmonious Purlings glides along,
And tells her Ravisht Banks, she lately bore
A Prize more great than all her hidden Store,
Or all the Sun it self e're saw before.

The brooding Spring, her Fragrant Bloom sent out,

Scattering her early Perfumes round about;
No longer waits the Lasie teeming Hours,
But e're her time produc'd her Oderous Flowers;
Maria's Eyes Anticipate the May,
And Life inspir'd beyond the God of Day.
The Muses all upon this Theam Divine,
Tun'd their best Lays, the Muses all, but mine,
Sullen with Stubborn Loyalty she lay,
And saw the World its eager Homage pay,
While Heav'n and Earth on the new Scene lookt gay.

But Oh! What Human Fortitude can be
Sufficient to Resist a Deity?
Even our Allegiance here, too feebly pleads,
The Change in so Divine a Form perswades;
Maria with the Sun has equal Force,
No Opposition stops her Glorious Course,
Her pointed Beams thro' all a passage find,
And fix their Rays Triumphant in the Mind.
And now I wish'd among the Crouds to Adore,
And constant wishing did increase my Power;

From every thought a New-born Reason came
Which fortifyed by bright Maria's Fame,
Inspir'd My Genious with new Life and Flame,
And thou, Great Lord, of all my Vows, permit
My Muse who never fail'd Obedience yet,
To pay her Tribute at Marias Feet,
Maria so Divine a part of You,
Let me be Just -- but Just with Honour too.

Resolv'd, She join'd her Chorus with the Throng,
And to the listning Groves Marias Vertues Sung;

Maria all Inchanting, Gay, and Young,
All Hail Illustrious Daughter of a King,
Shining without, and Glorious all within,
VVhose Eyes beyond your scantier Power give Laws,
Command the VVord, and justifie the Cause;
Nor to secure your Empire needs more Arms
Than your resistless, and all Conquering Charms;
Minerva Thus alone, Old Troy Sustain'd,
Whilst her Blest Image with three Gods remain'd;
But Oh! your Form and Manner to relate,

The Envying Fair as soon may Imitate,
'Tis all Engaging Sweet, 'tis all Surprising Great;
A thousand Beauties Triumph in your Air,
Like those of soft Young Loves your Smiles appear,
And to th'Ungarded Hearts, as dangerous are:
All Natures Charms are open'd in your Face,
You Look, you Talk, with more than Human Grace;

All that is Wit, all that is Eloquence.
The Births of finest Thought and Noblest Sense,
Easie and Natural from your Language break,

And 'tis Eternal Musick when you speak;
Thro' all no formal Nicety is seen,
But Free and Generous your Majestick Meen,
In every Motion, every Part a Queen;
All that is Great and Lovely in the Sex,
Heav'n did in this One Glorious Wonder fix,
Apellis thus to dress the Queen of Love,
Rob'd the whole Race, a Goddess to improve.
Yet if with Sighs we View that Lovely Face,
And all the Lines of your great Father's Trace,

Your Vertues should forgive, while we adore
That Face that Awes, and Charms our Hearts the more;
But if the Monarch in your Looks we find,
Behold him yet more glorious in your Mind;
'Tis there His God-like Attributes we see.
A Gratious Sweetness, Affability,
A Tender Mercy and True Piety;
And Vertues even sufficient to Attone
For all the Ills the Ungrateful VVorld has done,
Where several Factions, several Intrests sway,


Scheme AABBCCDDEE FFGGHHIJ KK GGXFXLGGG M MNNDDOODDD PPXFQQRRGX IIIXXXSS LH HXXXXTTUUB BBXXXVV XXK XJJJXXXXVV GGRRPAPJXD
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101 110111001 101010101 110101111 010111111 111101011 101111111 1011100111 100111010 1111111101 1111010101 1011010101 1111011111 01011111 110110111 11111111 0101010101 111010001 0101110101 1111010101 0001010101 01101101 110110101 0101110101 1101001111 1101001101 010111101 0111110101 11011111101 0101010111 10001001101 1101011010 11101010110 010101001 01010010111 0101011101 1111010111 1011010011 0101110101 1101101111 111101011 0101010100 101001011101 010101011 0101011101 1010101001 0101110101 0111010001 01110101101 01010101110 11001011101 11110101 0101111101 0111111101 11110101001 11010111 0101010111 111111111 0111010101 01011111 01011101 11010010101 10010100101 1101111011 01010101 11011100111 111011001 0101011101 1011011101 1111010101 01111110 110101110101 0101010011 1111111101 011111001 1101110011 1111111101 1111111100 0111010101 1010011101 0101010111 1111010011 110100111 010010100101 1111010001 11011100101 11110111 1011010101 1111111101 0101111101 111011101 11110110101 110101111 01111100011 111111011 01101 0101001100 011001011 11010010111 1101010111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 4,328
Words 758
Sentences 18
Stanzas 14
Stanza Lengths 10, 8, 2, 9, 1, 10, 10, 8, 2, 10, 7, 3, 10, 10
Lines Amount 100
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 243
Words per stanza (avg) 54
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

3:55 min read
142

Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration, the first English professional female literary writer. more…

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