Analysis of Song From Marriage-A-La-Mode

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



Why should a foolish marriage vow,
Which long ago was made,
Oblige us to each other now,
When passion is decayed?
We loved, and we loved, as long as we could,
Till our love was loved out in us both;
But our marriage is dead when the pleasure is fled:
'Twas pleasure first made it an oath.

If I have pleasures for a friend,
And farther love in store,
What wrong has he whose joys did end,
And who could give no more?
'Tis a madness that he should be jealous of me,
Or that I should bar him of another;
For all we can gain is to give ourselves pain,
When neither can hinder the other.


Scheme ABABXCXC DEDEXFXF
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 110111 01111101 110101 1101111111 1101111011 1101011101011 11011111 11110101 010101 11111111 011111 101011111011 1111111010 111111110011 110110010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 575
Words 119
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 223
Words per stanza (avg) 59
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 14, 2023

35 sec read
147

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. more…

All John Dryden poems | John Dryden Books

5 fans

Discuss this John Dryden poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Song From Marriage-A-La-Mode" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22705/song-from-marriage-a-la-mode>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    23
    days
    8
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Lewis Carroll wrote: "You are old father William, the young man said..."
    A "and you seem to have lost your sight"
    B "and your hair has become very white"
    C "and you're going to die tonight"
    D "and your eyes have become less bright"