Analysis of Cupid and Plutus



When Celia, love's eternal foe,
To rich old Gomez first was married;
And angry Cupid came to know
His shafts had err'd, his bow miscarried;

He sigh'd, he wept, he hung his head,
On the cold ground, full sad, he laid him;
When Plutus, there by fortune led,
In this desponding plight survey'd him.

'And sure,' he cried, 'you'll own at last
Your boasted power by mine exceeded:
Say, wretched boy, now all is past,
How little she your efforts heeded.

'If with success you would assail,
Gild, youngster, doubly gild your arrows:
Little the feather'd shafts avail,
Though wing'd from mamma's doves and sparrows.

'What though each reed, each arrow grew,
Where Venus bathed herself; depend on't,
'Twere more for use, for beauty too,
A diamond sparkled at the end on't.'

'Peace, Plutus, peace!'-the boy replied;
'Were not my arts by yours infested,
I could each other power deride,
And rule this circle unmolested.

'See yonder pair! no worldly views
In Chloe's generous breast resided:
Love bade her the spruce valet choose,
And she by potent love was guided.

'For this, she quits her golden dreams,
In her gilt coach no more she ranges:
And her rich crimson, bright with gems,
For cheeks impearl'd with tears, she changes.

'Though sordid Celia own'd your power,
Think not so monstrous my disgrace is:
You gain'd this nymph-that very hour
I gain'd a score in different places.'


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KFKF LFLF XMXM NMNM
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 111101110 01010111 1111111 11111111 101111111 1111101 0111011 01111111 1101011010 11011111 110111010 11011101 110101110 10010101 11111010 11111101 1101010111 11111101 0101010111 1110101 011111010 111101001 01110010 11011101 011001010 11001011 011101110 11110101 001111110 00110111 11111110 110101110 111101011 111111010 1101010010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,341
Words 241
Sentences 11
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 116
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
25

William Shenstone

 · 1714 · Halesowen

William Shenstone was an English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening through the development of his estate, The Leasowes. more…

All William Shenstone poems | William Shenstone Books

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