Analysis of A Riddle
Thomas Parnell 1679 (Dublin) – 1718
Upon a Bed of humble clay
In all her Garments loose
A Prostitute my Mother lay
To ev'ry Comer's use.
'Till one Gallant in heat of love
His Own Peculiar made her
And to a Region far above
And softer Beds convey'd her.
But in his Absence, to his Place
His rougher Rival came
And with a cold constrain'd Embrace
Begat me on the Dame.
I then appear'd to Publick View
A Creature wondrous bright
But shortly perishable too
Inconstant, nice and light.
On Feathers not together fast
I wildly flew about
And from my Father's country past
To find my Mother out.
Where her Gallant of her beguil'd
With me enamour'd grew
And I that was my Mother's Child
Brought forth my Mother too.
Scheme | ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHIJIJKGKG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01011101 010101 0101101 1111 11100111 1101010 01010101 0101010 10110111 110101 01010101 011101 1101111 010101 11010001 1101 11010101 110101 01110101 111101 10101001 1111 01111101 111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 655 |
Words | 127 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 528 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 125 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 55 Views
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"A Riddle" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36984/a-riddle>.
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