Analysis of Sonnet 97: Dian, That Fain Would Cheer

Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)



Dian, that fain would cheer her friend the Night,
Shows her oft at the full her fairest race,
Bringing with her those starry nymphs, whose chase
From heav'nly standing hits each mortal wight.

But ah, poor Night, in love with Phoebus' light,
And endlessly despairing of his grace,
Herself (to show no other joy hath place)
Silent and sad in mourning weeds doth dight:

Ev'n so (alas) a lady, Dian's peer,
With chice delights and rarest company
Would fain drive clouds from out my heavy cheer.

But woe is me, though Joy itself were she,
She could not show my blind brain ways of joy
While I despair my Sun's sight to enjoy.


Scheme ABBA ABBA CDC DEE
Poetic Form
Metre 1011110101 1011010101 1010110111 111011101 1111011101 0100010111 0111110111 1001010111 1110101011 1101010100 1111111101 1111110101 1111111111 1101111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 628
Words 115
Sentences 4
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 121
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
75

Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. more…

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