Analysis of Upon His Picture

Thomas Randolph 1605 (Newnham) – 1635



When age hath made me what I am not now,
And every wrinkle tells me where the plow
Of time hath furrowed; when an ice shall flow
Through every vein, and all my head wear snow;
When death displays his coldness in my cheek,
And I myself in my own picture seek,
Not finding what I am, but what I was,
In doubt which to believe, this or my glass:
Yet though I alter, this remains the same
As it was drawn, retains the primitive frame
And first complexion; here will still be seen
Blood on the cheek, and down upon the chin;
Here the smooth brow will stay, the lively eye,
The ruddy lip, and hair of youthful dye.
Behold what frailty we in man may see,
Whose shadow is less given to change than he!


Scheme AABBCCDEFFGHIIJJ
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111111 01001011101 1111011111 11001011111 1101110011 011011101 1101111111 0111011111 1111010101 11110101001 0101011111 1101010101 1011110101 0101011101 0111010111 1111101111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 701
Words 139
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 536
Words per stanza (avg) 137
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
140

Thomas Randolph

Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. more…

All Thomas Randolph poems | Thomas Randolph Books

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