Analysis of Tess's Lament
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
I would that folk forgot me quite,
Forgot me quite!
I would that I could shrink from sight,
And no more see the sun.
Would it were time to say farewell,
To claim my nook, to need my knell,
Time for them all to stand and tell
Of my day's work as done.
Ah! dairy where I lived so long,
I lived so long;
Where I would rise up stanch and strong,
And lie down hopefully.
'Twas there within the chimney-seat
He watched me to the clock's slow beat -
Loved me, and learnt to call me sweet,
And whispered words to me.
And now he's gone; and now he's gone; . . .
And now he's gone!
The flowers we potted p'rhaps are thrown
To rot upon the farm.
And where we had our supper-fire
May now grow nettle, dock, and briar,
And all the place be mould and mire
So cozy once and warm.
And it was I who did it all,
Who did it all;
'Twas I who made the blow to fall
On him who thought no guile.
Well, it is finished--past, and he
Has left me to my misery,
And I must take my Cross on me
For wronging him awhile.
How gay we looked that day we wed,
That day we wed!
"May joy be with ye!" all o'm said
A standing by the durn.
I wonder what they say o's now,
And if they know my lot; and how
She feels who milks my favourite cow,
And takes my place at churn!
It wears me out to think of it,
To think of it;
I cannot bear my fate as writ,
I'd have my life unbe;
Would turn my memory to a blot,
Make every relic of me rot,
My doings be as they were not,
And what they've brought to me!
Scheme | AAABCCCB DDDEFFFE GGXXHHXX IIIJEEEJ KKKLMMML NNNXOOOE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 0111 11111111 011101 1101111 11111111 11111101 111111 11011111 1111 11111101 011100 11010101 11110111 11011111 010111 01110111 0111 010110111 110101 0111101010 111101010 01011101 110101 01111111 1111 11110111 111111 11110101 11111100 01111111 11101 11111111 1111 111111111 010101 11011111 01111101 1111111 011111 11111111 1111 11011111 11111 111100101 110010111 11011101 011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,536 |
Words | 315 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 180 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 52 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 10, 2023
- 1:37 min read
- 233 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Tess's Lament" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36478/tess%27s-lament>.
Discuss this Thomas Hardy poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In