Analysis of William And Nancy

Anne Hunter 1742 (Waterford) – 1821 (London)



AS on the transport's dusky side
Young William stood with folded arms,
Silent he watch'd the rising tide,
The loud wind fill'd him with alarms.
Not for himself he knew to fear,
But for one dearer far than life;
Nancy, in parting doubly dear,
His tender bride, his faithful wife.
She still had hop'd to share his fate,
To sooth him in affliction's hour;
On all his wand'ring steps to wait,
And give the comfort in her power.

But chance denied the wish'd-for prize,
The envied lot another drew;
Now sorrow dim'd her sleepless eyes,
And to despair her sorrow grew.
But when the shouting seamen strove
To tow the vessel on its way,
Wak'd from despair by anxious love,
She rush'd along the crowded quay.
The sails unfurl'd, as gliding round,
The parting cheers still louder grew,
She flew, and with a fearful bound
Drop'd in her William's arms below.


Scheme ABABCDCDEFEF GHGHXXXXIHIX
Poetic Form
Metre 110111 11011101 10110101 01111101 11011111 11110111 10010101 11011101 11111111 1110110 11111111 010100010 11010111 01010101 11010101 01010101 11010101 11010111 11011101 11010101 01011101 01011101 11010101 10010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 830
Words 153
Sentences 7
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 12, 12
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 328
Words per stanza (avg) 76
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
86

Anne Hunter

Anne Hunter (née Home) (1742–1821) was a saloniere and poet in Georgian London. She is mostly remembered now for writing the texts to at least nine of Joseph Haydn's 14 songs in English. She entertained the leading Bluestockings at their house. She was the wife of surgeon John Hunter and his anatomical collections in their marital home eventually formed the basis for the Hunterian Museum.  more…

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