Analysis of To the Author of a Poem Entitled Succession
Alexander Pope 1688 (London) – 1744 (Twickenham)
Begone, ye Critics, and restrain your spite,
Codrus writes on, and will for ever write,
The heaviest Muse the swiftest course has gone,
As clocks run fastest when most lead is on;
What tho' no bees around your cradle flew,
Nor on your lips distill'd their golden dew;
Yet have we oft discover'd in their stead
When you, like Orpheus, strike the warbling lyre.
Attentive blocks stand round you and admire.
Wit pass'd through thee no longer is the same,
As meat digested takes a diff'rent name;
But sense must sure thy safest plunder be,
Since no reprisals can be made on thee.
Thus thou may'st rise, and in thy daring flight
(Though ne'er so weighty) reach a wondrous height.
So, forced from engines, lead itself can fly,
Sure Bavius copied Maevius to the full,
And Chaerilus taught Codrus to be dull;
Therefore, dear friend, at my advice give o'er
This needless labour; and contend no more
To prove a dull succession to be true,
Since 'tis enough we find it so in you.
Scheme | AABCDDEFFGGHHAAIJKLMDD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111000111 111011101 01001010111 1111011111 1111011101 1111011101 1111010011 111100101001 0101111001 1111110101 111010111 1111110101 1101011111 11111001101 1111010101 1111010111 11101101 0111111 1111101110 110100111 1101010111 1101111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 956 |
Words | 176 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 22 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 755 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 174 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 89 Views
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"To the Author of a Poem Entitled Succession" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/521/to-the-author-of-a-poem-entitled-succession>.
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