Analysis of Despairing Mary
Robert Tannahill 1774 (Paisley) – 1810
Mary why thus waste thy youth-time in sorrow?
See, a' around you the flowers sweetly blaw;
Blithe sets the sun o'er the wild cliffs of Jura,
Blithe sings the mavis in ilka green shaw.
How can this heart ever mair think of pleasure,
Summer may smile, but delight I ha'e nane;
Cauld in the grave lies my heart's only treasure,
Nature seems dead since my Jamie is gane.
This 'kerchief he gave me, a true lover's token,
Dear, dear to me was the gift for his sake!
I wear't near my heart, but this poor heart is broken,
Hope died with Jamie, and left it to break
Sighing for him, I lie down in the e'ening,
Sighing for him, I awake in the morn;
Spent are my days a' in secret repining,
Peace to this bosom can never return.
Oft have we wander'd in sweetest retirement,
Telling our loves 'neath the moon's silent beam,
Sweet were our meetings of tender endearment,
But fled are these joys like a fleet-passing dream.
Cruel Remembrance, ah! why wilt thou wreck me,
Brooding o er joys that for ever are flown!
Cruel Remembrance, in pity forsake me,
Flee to some bosom where grief is unknown!
Scheme | XXXXABAB BCBCCBCB DEDEFBFB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111111010 10011010101 110110011110 1101001011 11111011110 10111011111 10011111010 1011111011 110111011010 1111101111 1111111111110 1111001111 1011111001 1011101001 111100101 1111011001 111100100100 10101101101 101010110010 11111101101 10010111111 10101111011 10010010011 1111011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,070 |
Words | 203 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 278 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 67 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 126 Views
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