Analysis of An Attempt At The Manner Of Waller

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Did not thy reason, and thy sense,
With most persuasive eloquence,
Convince me that obedience due
None may so justly claim as you,
By right of beauty you would be
Mistress o'er my heart and me.

Then fear not I should e'er rebel,
My gentle love! I might as well
A forward peevishness put on,
And quarrel with the mid-day sun;
Or question who gave him a right
To be so fiery and so bright.

Nay, this were less absurd and vain
Than disobedience to thy reign;
His beams are oft too severe;
But thou art mild, as thou art fair;
First from necessity we own your sway,
Then scorn our freedom, and by choice obey.


Scheme XXAABB XXXXCC DDXXEE
Poetic Form
Metre 11110011 11010100 011101001 11110111 11110111 10101101 111111010 11011111 010111 01010111 11011101 111100011 11010101 10100111 1111101 11111111 1101001111 11101001101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 597
Words 118
Sentences 5
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 156
Words per stanza (avg) 39
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
82

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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