Analysis of To Mary In Summer

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828 (London) – 1882 (Birchington-on-Sea)



LAY your head here, Mary,
Lay your head here,
While the blown grass, Mary,
With timid voice and wary,
Sings in your ear:—
The grass which round us, Mary,
Shuts like a nest;
By your dear limbs, dear Mary,
Lighter than limbs of Faery,
Daintily press'd.
Back with it all though, Mary,
Back and aside;
The wind comes this way, Mary,
And here the trees are airy
And the skies are wide.
What do your eyes fear, Mary,
So grave and soft?
I love to see them, Mary,
In whimsical vagary
Lifted aloft.
Mary, Mary, Mary,
Laugh in my face:
You know now, my own Mary,
No eyes can laugh so rarely
Or grant such grace.
Your cheek is pale now, Mary,
And red, by turns.
Why should the hand be chary
Of that to give which, Mary,
The heart so yearns?
Give me your hand, ah Mary,
Give me your hand:
In city or in prairie
There is none kinder, Mary,
From land to land.
Your lips to my lips, Mary,
Your lips to mine:
High up in Hebe's dairy
No milk so sweet, my Mary,
On earth no wine.
Lay your head here, Mary,
Lay your head here;
While my heart now, Mary,
The pleasant tune to vary,
Beats in your ear.


Scheme ABaabacaacadaadaeaafagaagahaahaiaaiajaajABaab
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 111110 1111 101110 1101010 1011 0111110 1101 1111110 101111 11 1111110 1001 0111110 0101110 00111 1111110 1101 1111110 0100100 1001 101010 1011 1111110 1111110 1111 1111110 0111 1101110 1111110 0111 1111110 1111 0101010 1111010 1111 1111110 1111 110110 1111110 1111 111110 1111 111110 0101110 1011
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,081
Words 217
Sentences 11
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 45
Lines Amount 45
Letters per line (avg) 18
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 804
Words per stanza (avg) 214
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:05 min read
62

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. more…

All Dante Gabriel Rossetti poems | Dante Gabriel Rossetti Books

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