Analysis of In Imitation of Cowley : The Garden
Alexander Pope 1688 (London) – 1744 (Twickenham)
Fain would my Muse the flow'ry Treasures sing,
And humble glories of the youthful Spring;
Where opening Roses breathing sweets diffuse,
And soft Carnations show'r their balmy dews;
Where Lilies smile in virgin robes of white,
The thin Undress of superficial Light,
And vary'd Tulips show so dazzling gay,
Blushing in bright diversities of day.
Each painted flow'ret in the lake below
Surveys its beauties, whence its beauties grow;
And pale Narcissus on the bank, in vain
Transformed, gazes on himself again.
Here aged trees Cathedral Walks compose,
And mount the Hill in venerable rows:
There the green Infants in their beds are laid,
The Garden's Hope, and its expected shade.
Here Orange-trees with blooms and pendantis shine,
And vernal honours to their autumn join;
Exceed their promise in the ripen'd store,
Yet in the rising blossom promise more.
There in bright drops the crystal Fountains play,
By Laurels shielded from the piercing day;
Where Daphne, now a tree as once a maid,
Still from Apollo vindicates her shade,
Still turns her Beauties from th' invading beam,
Nor seeks in vain for succour to the Stream.
The stream at once preserves her virgin leaves,
At once a shelter from her boughs receives,
Where Summer's beauty midst of Winter stays,
And Winter's Coolness spite of Summer's rays.
Scheme | AABCDDEEFFGHIIJJKLMMEEJJNNOOPP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 111101101 0101010101 11001010101 01010111101 1101010111 010110101 0110111001 1001111 1101100101 0111011101 0101010101 011010101 111010101 0101010001 1011001111 0101010101 110111011 010111101 0111000101 1001010101 1011010101 1101010101 1101011101 110101001 110101110101 110111101 0111010101 1101010101 1101011101 0101011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,283 |
Words | 218 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,045 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 216 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 116 Views
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"In Imitation of Cowley : The Garden" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/470/in-imitation-of-cowley-%3A-the-garden>.
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