Analysis of Song, by a Person of Quality
Alexander Pope 1688 (London) – 1744 (Twickenham)
I.
Flutt'ring spread thy purple Pinions,
Gentle Cupid, o'er my Heart;
I a Slave in thy Dominions;
Nature must give Way to Art.
II.
Mild Arcadians, ever blooming,
Nightly nodding o'er your Flocks,
See my weary Days consuming,
All beneath yon flow'ry Rocks.
III.
Thus the Cyprian Goddess weeping,
Mourn'd Adonis, darling Youth:
Him the Boar in Silence creeping,
Gor'd with unrelenting Tooth.
IV.
Cynthia, tune harmonious Numbers;
Fair Discretion, string the Lyre;
Sooth my ever-waking Slumbers:
Bright Apollo, lend thy Choir.
V.
Gloomy Pluto, King of Terrors,
Arm'd in adamantine Chains,
Lead me to the Crystal Mirrors,
Wat'ring soft Elysian Plains.
VI.
Mournful Cypress, verdant Willow,
Gilding my Aurelia's Brows,
Morpheus hov'ring o'er my Pillow,
Hear me pay my dying Vows.
VII.
Melancholy smooth Maeander,
Swiftly purling in a Round,
On thy Margin Lovers wander,
With thy flow'ry Chaplets crown'd.
VIII.
Thus when Philomela drooping,
Softly seeks her silent Mate,
See the Bird of Juno stooping;
Melody resigns to Fate.
Scheme | ABCBC ADBDB ADEDE FBGBH FBBBB AIBIB FGJHJ FDKDK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (38%) |
Metre | 1 111101 10101011 101011 1011111 1 11001010 10101011 11101010 101111 1 101001010 1010101 10101010 110101 1 1001010010 1010101 1110101 10101110 1 10101110 1011 11101010 11111 1 1010101 10111 1110110 1111101 1 10011 101001 11101010 11111 1 1101010 1010101 10111010 1000111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 991 |
Words | 163 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 100 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 20 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 15, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 95 Views
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"Song, by a Person of Quality" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/495/song%2C-by-a-person-of-quality>.
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