Analysis of To Ellinda, That Lately I Have Not Written



I.
If in me anger, or disdaine
In you, or both, made me refraine
From th' noble intercourse of verse,
That only vertuous thoughts rehearse;
  Then, chaste Ellinda, might you feare
  The sacred vowes that I did sweare.

II.
But if alone some pious thought
Me to an inward sadnesse brought,
Thinking to breath your soule too welle,
My tongue was charmed with that spell;
  And left it (since there was no roome
  To voyce your worth enough) strooke dumbe.

III.
So then this silence doth reveal
No thought of negligence, but zeal:
For, as in adoration,
This is love's true devotion;
  Children and fools the words repeat,
  But anch'rites pray in tears and sweat.


Scheme ABBCCDD AEEFFGG AHHBBXX
Poetic Form
Metre 1 1011011 0111111 111101011 1101101 111111 01011111 1 11011101 1111011 10111111 1111111 01111111 11110111 1 11110101 11110011 110010 1111010 10010101 1110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 687
Words 117
Sentences 7
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 169
Words per stanza (avg) 38
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
92

Richard Lovelace

Richard Lovelace was an English poet more…

All Richard Lovelace poems | Richard Lovelace Books

0 fans

Discuss this Richard Lovelace poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "To Ellinda, That Lately I Have Not Written" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30253/to-ellinda%2C-that-lately-i-have-not-written>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    29
    days
    3
    hours
    19
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "O Captain! My Captain!"?
    A Emily Dickinson
    B Walt Whitman
    C Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    D Ezra Pound