Analysis of Strada's Nightingale
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
The shepherd touch'd his reed; sweet Philomel
Essay'd, and oft essay'd to catch the strain,
And treasuring, as on her ear they fell,
The numbers, echo’d note for note again.
The peevish youth, who ne'er had foundbefore
A rival of his skill, indignant heard,
And soon (for various was his tuneful store)
In loftier tones defied the simple bird.
She dared the task, and, rising as he rose,
With all the force that passion gives inspired,
Return’d the sounds awhile, but in the close
Exhausted fell, and at his feet expired.
Thus strength, not skill prevail'd. O fatal strife,
By thee, poor songstress, playfully begun;
And, O sad victory, which cost thy life,
And he may wish that he had never won!
Scheme | AXAX BCBC XCXX DEDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (50%) |
Metre | 01011111 10111101 01110111 010111101 01011111 0101110101 01110011101 01001010101 1101010111 11011101010 101011001 0101011101 1111011101 111110001 0111001111 0111111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 693 |
Words | 124 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 135 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 113 Views
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