Analysis of Sonnet 51: Thus can my love excuse the slow offence
William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)
Thus can my love excuse the slow offence
Of my dull bearer, when from thee I speed:
From where thou art, why should I haste me thence?
Till I return, of posting is no need.
O, what excuse will my poor beast then find
When swift extremity can seem but slow?
Then should I spur, though mounted on the wind;
In wingèd speed no motion shall I know.
Then can no horse with my desire keep pace;
Therefore desire, of perfect'st love being made,
Shall neigh—no dull flesh—in his fiery race.
But love, for love, thus shall excuse my jade:
Since from thee going he went wilful-slow,
Towards thee I'll run, and give him leave to go.
Scheme | ABABCDCDAEAEDD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111101011 1111011111 1111111111 1101110111 1101111111 1101001111 1111110101 0111110111 11111101011 101010111101 11111011001 1111110111 111101111 01111011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 629 |
Words | 119 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 478 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 117 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 19, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 151 Views
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"Sonnet 51: Thus can my love excuse the slow offence" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41500/sonnet-51%3A-thus-can-my-love-excuse-the-slow-offence>.
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