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A Riddle

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)

I am just two and two, I am warm, I am cold,
And the parent of numbers that cannot be told.
I am lawful, unlawful -- a duty, a fault,
I am often sold dear, good for nothing when bought;
An extraordinary boon, and a matter of course,
And yielded with pleasure when taken by force.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

17 sec read
85

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCDD
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 282
Words 58
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 6
Full analysis for A Riddle »

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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