Analysis of The Shrubbery, Written in a Time of Affliction
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
Oh happy shades--to me unblest!
Friendly to peace, but not to me!
How ill the scene that offers rest,
And heart that cannot rest, agree!
This glassy stream, that spreading pine,
Those alders quiv'ring to the breeze,
Might sooth a soul less hurt than mine,
And please, if any thing could please.
But fix'd unalterable care
Foregoes not what she feels within,
Shows the same sadness ev'rywhere,
And slights the season and the scene.
For all that pleas'd in wood or lawn,
While peace possess'd these silent bow'rs,
Her animating smile withdrawn,
Has lost its beauties and its pow'rs.
The saint or moralist should tread
This moss-grown alley, musing, slow;
They seek, like me, the secret shade,
But not, like me, to nourish woe!
Me fruitful scenes and prospects waste
Alike admonish not to roam;
These tell me of enjoyments past,
And those of sorrows yet to come.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EXEX FDFD AGAG AXAX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111 10111111 11011101 01110101 11011101 111101 11011111 01110111 11010001 1111101 101101 01010001 11110111 11011101 01101 11110011 01110011 11110101 11110101 11111101 11010101 01010111 11110101 01110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 927 |
Words | 150 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 134 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 76 Views
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"The Shrubbery, Written in a Time of Affliction" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40177/the-shrubbery%2C-written-in-a-time-of-affliction>.
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