Analysis of A Picnic By The Riverside In Henley

Royston 1946 (Reading)



It was a peaceful and mild autumnal day
as the river Thames flowed upon its way.
Colourful boats were moored rank upon rank
as we picnicked there by the river bank.

People were walking with their dogs on leads,
as horse chestnut trees shed their precious seeds.
The branches spanned across the river bank
and conkers splashed noisily as they sank.

Several river boats cruised on their way
whilst cormorants spread their wings in display.
Bursting through the dark clouds shone the bright sun,
and we felt great, for we were having fun.

Then along came a noisy gaggle of geese,
spoiling the ambience, breaking the peace.
Another group was coming the other way
honking and hissing in battle array.

A skirmish of geese was about to take place
as they drew closer, coming face to face.
Necks stretched out parallel to the water
each one determined and would not falter.

How it would end we just did not know.
Would feathers fly and crimson blood flow?
To our surprise the threats and curses ceased,
the two factions merged and left us in peace!

The drama was over. Peace reigned once more
as I sat beside the one I adore.
Then our lovely day ended just like a dream,
as we walked arm in arm eating ice cream.


Scheme AABB CCBB AADD EEAA FFGG HHXE IIJJ
Poetic Form Quatrain  (86%)
Metre 11010010101 1010110111 11011011 111110101 1001011111 111111101 0101010101 011100111 101011111 1100111001 1010111011 0111110101 10110101011 1001001001 01011100101 1001001001 01011101111 1111010111 111101010 1101001110 111111111 110101011 11001010101 0110101101 0101101111 1110101101 110101101101 1111011011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,184
Words 218
Sentences 16
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 138
Words per stanza (avg) 31
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Submitted by royston on April 14, 2021

Modified on April 27, 2023

1:05 min read
17

Royston

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