Analysis of Lesbia Hath a Beaming Eye

Thomas Moore 1779 (Dublin) – 1852 (Bromham)



Lesbia hath a beaming eye,
But no one knows for whom it beameth;
Right and left its arrows fly,
But what they aim at no one dreameth.
Sweeter 'tis to gaze upon
My Nora's lid that seldom rises;
Few its looks, but every one,
Like unexpected light, surprises!
Oh, my Nora Creina, dear,
My gentle, bashful Nora Creina,
Beauty lies
In many eyes,
But Love in yours, my Nora Creina.

Lesbia wears a robe of gold,
But all so close the nymph hath laced it,
Not a charm of beauty's mould
Presumes to stay where Nature placed it.
Oh! my Nora's gown for me,
That floats as wild as mountain breezes,
Leaving every beauty free
To sink or swell as Heaven pleases.
Yes, my Nora Creina, dear,
My simple, graceful Nora Creina,
Nature's dress
Is loveliness --
The dress you wear, my Nora Creina.

Lesbia hath a wit refined,
But, when its points are gleaning round us,
Who can tell if they're design'd
To dazzle merely, or to wound us?
Pillow'd on my Nora's heart,
In safer slumber Love reposes --
Bed of peace! whose roughest part
Is but the crumpling of the roses.
Oh! my Nora Creina, dear,
My mild, my artless Nora Creina!
Wit, though bright,
Hath no such light
As warms your eyes, my Nora Creina.


Scheme ababcdxeFcggc hihijejefcxdc klklmdmeFcnnc
Poetic Form
Metre 110101 11111111 1011101 11111111 1011101 110111010 11111001 10101010 111011 11010101 101 0101 11011101 110111 111101111 101111 011111011 1110111 111111010 10100101 111111010 111011 11010101 101 11 01111101 110101 11111111 1111101 110101111 111101 0101011 1111101 11011010 111011 1111101 111 1111 11111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,186
Words 221
Sentences 14
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 13, 13, 13
Lines Amount 39
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 300
Words per stanza (avg) 73
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:08 min read
67

Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet singer songwriter and entertainer now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and the The Last Rose of Summer more…

All Thomas Moore poems | Thomas Moore Books

2 fans

Discuss this Thomas Moore poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Lesbia Hath a Beaming Eye" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36860/lesbia-hath-a-beaming-eye>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    13
    hours
    30
    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?

    »
    Which female American poet, who was little-known during her lifetime, but had nearly 1800 of her poems published posthumously, rarely titled her poems?
    A Sara Teasdale
    B Amy Lowell
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Sylvia Plath