Analysis of To the Memory of Mrs. Lefroy who died Dec:r 16 -- my Birthday.
Jane Austen 1775 (Steventon Rectory, Hampshire) – 1817 (Winchester, Hampshire)
The day returns again, my natal day;
What mix'd emotions with the Thought arise!
Beloved friend, four years have pass'd away
Since thou wert snatch'd forever from our eyes.--
The day, commemorative of my birth
Bestowing Life and Light and Hope on me,
Brings back the hour which was thy last on Earth.
Oh! bitter pang of torturing Memory!--
Angelic Woman! past my power to praise
In Language meet, thy Talents, Temper, mind.
Thy solid Worth, they captivating Grace!--
Thou friend and ornament of Humankind!--
At Johnson's death by Hamilton t'was said,
'Seek we a substitute--Ah! vain the plan,
No second best remains to Johnson dead--
None can remind us even of the Man.'
So we of thee--unequall'd in thy race
Unequall'd thou, as he the first of Men.
Vainly we wearch around the vacant place,
We ne'er may look upon thy like again.
Come then fond Fancy, thou indulgant Power,--
--Hope is desponding, chill, severe to thee!--
Bless thou, this little portion of an hour,
Let me behold her as she used to be.
I see her here, with all her smiles benign,
Her looks of eager Love, her accents sweet.
That voice and Countenance almost divine!--
Expression, Harmony, alike complete.--
I listen--'tis not sound alone--'tis sense,
'Tis Genius, Taste and Tenderness of Soul.
'Tis genuine warmth of heart without pretence
And purity of Mind that crowns the whole.
She speaks; 'tis Eloquence--that grace of Tongue
So rare, so lovely!--Never misapplied
By her to palliate Vice, or deck a Wrong,
She speaks and reasons but on Virtue's side.
Her's is the Engergy of Soul sincere.
Her Christian Spirit ignorant to feign,
Seeks but to comfort, heal, enlighten, chear,
Confer a pleasure, or prevent a pain.--
Can ought enhance such Goodness?--Yes, to me,
Her partial favour from my earliest years
Consummates all.--Ah! Give me yet to see
Her smile of Love.--the Vision diappears.
'Tis past and gone--We meet no more below.
Short is the Cheat of Fancy o'er the Tomb.
Oh! might I hope to equal Bliss to go!
To meet thee Angel! in thy future home!--
Fain would I feel an union in thy fate,
Fain would I seek to draw an Omen fair
From this connection in our Earthly date.
Indulge the harmless weakness--Reason, spare.--
Scheme | ABABCDCD XEFE GHGH FIFI JDJD KLKL XMBM XNXN XOJO DXDB PXPX QRQR |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101011101 1101010101 011111101 11110101101 010100111 0101010111 11010111111 11011100100 1010111011 0101110101 110111001 110100110 11011100111 110101101 1101011101 1101110101 11111011 11110111 1011010101 1111011101 111101110 11110111 11110101110 1101011111 1101110101 0111010101 110100101 0101000101 1101110111 1101010011 1100111011 0100111101 1111001111 111101001 101111101 110101111 11011101 0101010011 1111010101 0101010101 1101110111 0101111001 101111111 01110101 1101111101 11011101001 1111110111 1111001101 1111110011 1111111101 11010010101 0101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,164 |
Words | 395 |
Sentences | 38 |
Stanzas | 12 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 52 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 140 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:02 min read
- 58 Views
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"To the Memory of Mrs. Lefroy who died Dec:r 16 -- my Birthday." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21211/to-the-memory-of-mrs.-lefroy-who-died-dec%3Ar-16----my-birthday.>.
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