How Thought You That This Thing Could Captivate?
Alfred Lord Tennyson 1809 – 1892
How thought you that this thing could captivate?
What are those graces that could make her dear,
Who is not worth the notice of a sneer,
To rouse the vapid devil of her hate?
A speech conventional, so void of weight,
That after it has buzzed about one's ear,
'Twere rich refreshment for a week to hear
The dentist babble or the barber prate;
A hand displayed with many a little art;
An eye that glances on her neighbor's dress;
A foot too often shown for my regard;
An angel's form -- a waiting-woman's heart;
A perfect-featured face, expressionless,
Insipid, as the Queen upon a card.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 54 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAACCA DXEDXE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 625 |
Words | 108 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"How Thought You That This Thing Could Captivate?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/989/how-thought-you-that-this-thing-could-captivate?>.
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