Analysis of To Mary
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
The twentieth year is well nigh past
Since first our sky was overcast;—
Ah would that this might be the last!
My Mary!
Thy spirits have a fainter flow,
I see thee daily weaker grow;—
'Twas my distress that brought thee low,
My Mary!
Thy needles, once a shining store,
For my sake restless heretofore,
Now rust disused, and shine no more,
My Mary!
For though thou gladly wouldst fulfil
The same kind office for me still,
Thy sight now seconds not thy will,
My Mary!
But well thou playedst the housewife's part,
And all thy threads with magic art
Have wound themselves about this heart,
My Mary!
Thy indistinct expressions seem
Like language uttered in a dream;
Yet me they charm, whate'er the theme,
My Mary!
Thy silver locks, once auburn bright,
Are still more lovely in my sight
Than golden beams of orient light,
My Mary!
For could I view nor them nor thee,
What sight worth seeing could I see?
The sun would rise in vain for me,
My Mary!
Partakers of thy sad decline,
Thy hands their little force resign;
Yet gently pressed, press gently mine,
My Mary!
Such feebleness of limbs thou prov'st
That now at every step thou mov'st
Upheld by two; yet still thou lov'st,
My Mary!
And still to love, though pressed with ill,
In wintry age to feel no chill,
With me is to be lovely still,
My Mary!
But ah! by constant heed I know
How oft the sadness that I show
Transforms thy smiles to looks of woe,
My Mary!
And should my future lot be cast
With much resemblance of the past,
Thy worn-out heart will break at last,
My Mary!
Scheme | aaaB cccB dddB ceeB fffB gggB hhhB bbbB iiiB aaaB eeeB cccB aaaB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010011111 11101110 11111101 110 11010101 11110101 11011111 110 11010101 1111001 1110111 110 1111011 01110111 11110111 110 1111011 01111101 11010111 110 10010101 11010001 11111001 110 11011101 11110011 11011101 110 11111111 11110111 01110111 110 111101 11110101 11011101 110 111111 111100111 01111111 110 01111111 01011111 11111101 110 11110111 11010111 01111111 110 01110111 11010101 11111111 110 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,482 |
Words | 287 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 52 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 91 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 50 Views
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"To Mary" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40218/to-mary>.
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