Analysis of Though Humble the Banquet

Thomas Moore 1779 (Dublin) – 1852 (Bromham)



Though humble the banquet to which I invite thee,
Thou'lt find there the best a poor bard can command;
Eyes, beaming with welcome, shall throng round, to light thee,
And Love serve the feast with his own willing hand.

And though Fortune may seem to have turn'd from the dwelling
Of him thou regardest her favouring ray,
Thou wilt find there a gift, all her treasures excelling,
Which, proudly he feels, hath ennobled his way.

'Tis that freedom of mind, which no vulgar dominion
Can turn from the path a pure conscience approves,
Which, with hope in the heart, and no chain on the pinion,
Holds upwards its course to the light which it loves.

'Tis this makes the pride of his humble retreat,
And with this, though of all other treasures bereaved,
The breeze of his garden to him is more sweet
Than the costliest incense that Pomp e'er received.

Then, come, if a board so untempting hath power
To win thee from grandeur, its best shall be thine;
And there's one, long the light of the bard's happy bower,
Who, smiling will blend her bright welcome with mine.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EXEX FGFG HIHI
Poetic Form Quatrain  (80%)
Metre 110010111011 11101011101 110110111111 01101111101 0110111111010 1111011 1111011010010 11011101011 1110111110010 11101011001 1110010111010 11011101111 11101111001 011111101001 01111011111 1010001111001 1110111110 11110111111 0111011011010 11011011011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,064
Words 192
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 41
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 166
Words per stanza (avg) 38
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
62

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

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