Analysis of On Westwell Downes
William Strode 1602 – 1645
When Westwell Downes I gan to tread,
Where cleanely wynds the greene did sweepe,
Methought a landskipp there was spread,
Here a bush and there a sheepe:
The pleated wrinkles of the face
Of wave-swolne earth did lend such grace,
As shadowings in Imag'ry
Which both deceive and please the eye.
The sheepe sometymes did tread the maze
By often wynding in and in,
And sometymes round about they trace
Which milkmayds call a Fairie ring:
Such semicircles have they runne,
Such lynes acrosse so trymly spunne
That sheppeards learne whenere they please
A new Geometry with ease.
The slender food upon the downe
Is allwayes even, allwayes bare,
Which neither spring nor winter's frowne
Can ought improve or ought impayre:
Such is the barren Eunuches chynne,
Which thus doth evermore begynne
With tender downe to be orecast
Which never comes to haire at last.
Here and there twoe hilly crests
Amiddst them hugg a pleasant greene,
And these are like twoe swelling breasts
That close a tender fall betweene.
Here would I sleepe, or read, or pray
From early morne till flight of day:
But harke! a sheepe-bell calls mee upp,
Like Oxford colledge bells, to supp.
Scheme | ABABCCDX XECXEEFF XDEDEEAX GXGEDXBB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111 1110111 101111 1010101 0110101 11111111 1101 11010101 0111101 1101000 0110111 111011 11111 111111 111111 01010011 01010101 111011 11011101 1101111 1101011 111101 1101111 11011111 1011101 1110101 01111101 1101011 11111111 11011111 11011111 11010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,141 |
Words | 200 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 231 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:00 min read
- 85 Views
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"On Westwell Downes" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41697/on-westwell-downes>.
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