Analysis of Once a sea-nymph loved a boy
Augusta Davies Webster 1837 (Poole, Dorset) – 1894
ONCE a sea-nymph loved a boy:
He and she they loved so well.
'Oh the foamy billow's joy!
Oh the rippling in the sun!
Oh the round waves, one by one, Swaying, swaying, swaying, To and fro.
Oh my pearl and coral cell, And the long weeds playing,
While the surges come and go, Come and go!'
Boy and nymph were hand in hand:
He and she they had much love.
'Oh the green and ripening land!
Oh the lime-scent in the trees!
Oh the langour of the breeze,
Wooing, wooing, wooing, Light and low!
Oh the twilight in my grove, And the cushats cooing;
While the brook steals soft and slow, Soft and slow.'
Love, that heard them, laughed aloud, Took them to the side of him.
Was it land or leafy cloud?
Was it billowy cloud or sea? 'Twas the home that eyes, kissed dim,
Look on as they'd have it be.
Scheme | AXAXBCB DXDEE BCB FXFX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1011101 1011111 101011 10100001 1011111101010101 1110101001110 1010101101 1010101 1011111 10101001 1011001 101101 101010101 10101100110 1011101101 11111011110111 1111101 1111111011111 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 775 |
Words | 158 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 5, 3, 4 |
Lines Amount | 19 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 147 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 53 Views
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