Analysis of The Loving Cup of the Papyrus
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
WISE men use days as husbandmen use bees,
And steal rich drops from every pregnant hour;
Others, like wasps on blossomed apple-trees,
Find gall, not honey, in the sweetest flower.
Congratulations for a scene like this!
The olden times are here—these shall be olden
When, years to come, remembering present bliss,
We sigh for past Papyrian dinners golden.
We thank the gods! we call them back to light—
Call back to hoary Egypt for Osiris,
Who first made wine, to join our board to-night,
And drain this loving cup with the Papyrus.
He comes! the Pharaoh's god! fling wide the door-
Welcome, Osiris! See—thine old prescription
Is honored here; and thou shalt drink once more
With men whose treasured ensign is Egyptian.
A toast! a toast! our guest shall give a toast!
By Nilus' flood, we pray thee, god, inspire us!
He smiles—he wills—let not a word be lost—
His hand upon the cup, he speaks:—
'Papyrus!
“I greet ye! and mine ancient nation shares
In greeting fair from Ammon, Ptah, and Isis,
Whose leaf ye love—dead Egypt's leaf, that bears
Our tale of pride from Cheops to Cambyses.
'We gods of Egypt, who are wise with age—
Five thousand years have washed us clean of passion—
A golden era for this board presage,
While ye do keep this cup in priestly fashion.
'We love to see the bonds of fellowship
Made still more sacred by a fine tradition;
We bless this bowl that moves from lip to lip
In love's festoons, renewed by every mission.
'Intern the vessel from profaning eyes;
The lip that kisses should have special merit;
Thus every sanguine draught shall symbolize
And consecrate the true Papyrian spirit.
'For brotherhood, not wine, this cup should pass;
Its depths should ne'er reflect the eye of malice;
Drink toasts to strangers with the social glass,
But drink to brothers with this loving chalice.
'And now, Papyrus, each one pledge to each:
And let this formal tie be warmly cherished.
No words are needed for a kindly speech—
The loving thought will live when words have perished.'
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EAEA FDFD XGXXAHGHA XDXD IDID JKJK LGLC MNMN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (22%) |
Metre | 11111111 011111001010 1011110101 11110001010 001010111 01011111110 11110100101 111111010 1101111111 111101011 11111110111 011101101 110111101 101111010 1101011111 11110101010 01011011101 1111111011 1111110111 11010111 1 1110110101 01011101010 1111110111 101111111 1111011111 11011111110 0101011110 11111101010 111101110 11110101010 1111111111 01101110010 10010111 01110111010 1100101110 01001110 110111111 11110101110 1111010101 11110111010 01111111 01110111010 1111010101 01011111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,007 |
Words | 352 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 9, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 45 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 156 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:46 min read
- 33 Views
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"The Loving Cup of the Papyrus" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22063/the-loving-cup-of-the-papyrus>.
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