Analysis of Oft Have I Read That Innocence Retreats
Thomas Parnell 1679 (Dublin) – 1718
Oft have I read that Innocence retreats
Where cooling streams salute ye summer Seats
Singing at ease she roves ye field of flowrs
Or safe with shepheards lys among the bowrs
But late alas I crossd a country fare
And found No Strephon nor Dorinda there
There Hodge & William Joynd to cully ned
While Ned was drinking Hodge & William dead
There Cicely Jeard by day the slips of Nell
& ere ye night was ended Cicely fell
Are these the Virtues which adorn the plain
Ye bards forsake your old Arcadian Vein
To sheep those tender Innocents resign
The place where swains & nymphs are said to shine
Swains twice as Wicked Nymphs but half as sage
Tis sheep alone retrieve ye golden age.
Scheme | AAAABBCCDDEEFFGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110001 1101011101 1011111111 111110101 1101110101 011110101 111011101 111101101 11001110111 1111101001 1101010101 1101111001 1111010001 011111111 1111011111 1101011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 671 |
Words | 128 |
Sentences | 2 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 547 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 126 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 27, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 161 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Oft Have I Read That Innocence Retreats" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37030/oft-have-i-read-that-innocence-retreats>.
Discuss this Thomas Parnell poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In