Analysis of Recollections Of A Faded Beauty
Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton 1808 (Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Sheridan London) – 1877 (London)
AH! I remember when I was a girl
How my hair naturally used to curl,
And how my aunt four yards of net would pucker,
And call the odious thing, 'Diana's tucker.'
I hated it, because although, you see,
It did for her, it didn't do for me.
(Popkins said I should wear a low corsage,
But this I know was merely badinage.)
I recollect the gaieties of old--
Ices when hot, and punch when we were cold!
Race-balls, and county-balls, and balls where you,
For seven shillings, got dance and supper too.
Oh! I remember all the routs and plays--
'But words are idle,' as Lord Byron says;
And so am I, and therefore can spare time,
To put my recollections into rhyme.
I recollect the man who did declare
When I was at the fair, myself was fair:
(I had it in my album for three years,
And often looked, and shed delicious tears.)
I didn't fall in love, however, then,
Because I never saw that man again.
And I remember Popkins--ah! too well!
And all who once in love with Chloë fell.
They called me Chloë for they said my grace
Was nymph-like; as was also half my face.
My mouth was wide, but then I had a smile
Which might a demon of its tears beguile.--
As Captain Popkins said, or rather swore,
He liked me, (ah! my Popkins!) all the more.
He couldn't bear a little mouth, for when
It laughed, 'twas like a long slit in a pen;
Or button-hole stretched on too big a button;
Or little cut for gravy in boiled mutton.
(Popkins was clever)--but I must proceed
More regularly, that my friends may read.
I didn't marry, for I couldn't get
A man I liked; I havn't got one yet;
But I had handsome lovers by the score:
Alas! alas! I always sighed for more.
First came young Minton, of the ninth Hussars,
His eyes were bright and twinkling as the stars.
There was, indeed, a little little cast,
But he assured me that it would not last;
And only came, when he, one cold bivouac,
Gazed on the foe, and could not turn it back--
The chill was so intense! Poor Minton, I
Really did think he certainly would die.
He gave me of himself a little print;
The painter did not see or heed the squint.
Squint it was not--but one eye sought the other
With tenderness, as 'twere a young twin brother.
He gave it, and he sighed: oh! often after
The memory of that sigh hath chill'd my laughter.
I'm sure I might have married him, but then
I never did enough encourage men:
And somehow he made love to Anna Budge;
I never owed the ugly minx a grudge,
Though, God knows, she was cross and plain enough.
The things he us'd to say to her--such stuff!
Then came young Frederic Mortimer de Veaux:
A cruel, faithless wretch, that work'd me woe.
But such a man! so tall, so straight--he took
A lady's heart away at every look.
Such a hooked nose, such loads of curly hair--
Such a pale, wild, intense, Byronic air;
And his whole soul, (as he himself has said,)
'Wandering about among the mighty dead.'
He had read books, and rather liked to show it,
And always spoke like an inspired poet.
Last time we met, my heart prophetic drew
A mournful omen from his wild adieu:
I wrote it down, when he had closed the door.
All I remembered--would it had been more!--
'Allah hu! shall I ever behold thee again,
Sweet cause of my transport--dear cause of my pain?
Al, hamdu il Illah! what place can be fair,
My Rose of the Desert, if thou art not there?
Yet I go--for stern duty compels me to do so--
From the world where my heart is, like far-banished Crusoe.
Gul's gardens invite me, but Fate says, depart,
Bismillah! farewell, young Haidee of my heart!'
Was it not beautiful? it was--ah, me!--
Who would have thought such lips could traitors be?
Who could have thought, who saw his bright eye burn,
He spoke--intending never to return?
Then Mr. Humley asked aunt's leave to wed,
And winked, and asked if love was in my head,
Or heart; and then proceeding things to settle,
(Helping my aunt the while to lift the kettle,)--
Said, 'you shall have a cozy home, my dear,
And fifty pounds (to buy you clothes) a year.
And we must get your aunt, or some kind fairy
To teach you how to churn and mind the dairy.'
'A cozy home!' why, did one ever hear
Of such a man? and, to call me 'my dear:'
Me--I was Frederick Mortimer's heart's Haidee;
Young Minton's star of hope and gladness--me!
But I refused him; though my aunt did say
'That it was an advantage thrown away;'--
(He an advantage!)--'that she'd make me rue it--
Make me a nun
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFXXGGHHXXIIJJKKLLMMIINNXOPPMM CXQQRRSSTTBBBBIIUUVV CWXXHHOOYXFFMMIXHHWWZZCC1 1 OO2 2 3 3 CCX3 CC4 4 YN |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011101 1111000111 01111111110 010100101010 110101111 1110110111 111110101 11111101 1010111 1011011101 1101010111 11010110101 1101010101 1111011101 011101111 111010011 101011101 111101111 1110110111 0101010101 110101101 0111011101 010101111 011101111 111111111 1111110111 1111111101 1101011101 110111101 111111101 1101010111 1111011001 11011111010 11011100110 111011101 1100011111 1101011101 011111111 1111010101 010111111 111101011 11010100101 1101010101 1101111111 0101111110 1101011111 0111011101 1011110011 1111010101 0101111101 11111111010 11001101110 11101111010 010011111110 1111110111 1101010101 011111101 1101010101 1111110101 0111111011 1111010011 010111111 1101111111 01010111001 1011111101 10110111 0111110111 10001010101 11110101111 0111101010 1111110101 0101011101 1111111101 1101011111 101111001101 11110111111 111111111 11101011111 1111110011111 1011111111010 11001111101 11110111 1111001111 1111111101 1111111111 1101010101 110111111 0101111011 11010101110 10110111010 1111010111 0101111101 01111111110 11111101010 0101111101 1101011111 111101110 11111011 1101111111 1111010101 11010111111 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 4,378 |
Words | 843 |
Sentences | 58 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 40, 20, 26, 16 |
Lines Amount | 102 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 821 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 207 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 4:16 min read
- 49 Views
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"Recollections Of A Faded Beauty" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/4750/recollections-of-a-faded-beauty>.
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