Analysis of To a Lady
William Dunbar 1459 – 1530
SWEET rois of vertew and of gentilness,
Delytsum lily of everie lustynes,
Richest in bontie and in bewtie clear,
And everie vertew that is wenit dear,
Except onlie that ye are mercyless
Into your garth this day I did persew;
There saw I flowris that fresche were of hew;
Baith quhyte and reid most lusty were to seyne,
And halesome herbis upon stalkis greene;
Yet leaf nor flowr find could I nane of rew.
I doubt that Merche, with his cauld blastis keyne,
Has slain this gentil herb, that I of mene;
Quhois piteous death dois to my heart sic paine
That I would make to plant his root againe,--
So confortand his levis unto me bene.
Scheme | AABBA ACDDC DDDDD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1111011 110111 10010011 0111111 0111111 011111111 111111011 1101110011 0110111 1111111111 111111111 111111111 111111111 111111111 1111010110 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 657 |
Words | 120 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 15 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 166 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 71 Views
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"To a Lady" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40402/to-a-lady>.
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