Analysis of Song

Richard Lovelace 1618 – 1657



I.
  Strive not, vain lover, to be fine;
  Thy silk's the silk-worm's, and not thine:
You lessen to a fly your mistriss' thought,
To think it may be in a cobweb caught.
  What, though her thin transparent lawn
  Thy heart in a strong net hath drawn:
Not all the arms the god of fire ere made
Can the soft bulwarks of nak'd love invade.

II.
  Be truly fine, then, and yourself dress
  In her fair soul's immac'late glass.
Then by reflection you may have the bliss
Perhaps to see what a true fineness is;
  When all your gawderies will fit
  Those only that are poor in wit.
She that a clinquant outside doth adore,
Dotes on a gilded statue and no more.


Scheme ABBXXCCDD AXXXXEEFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1 11110111 11011011 110101111 111110011 11010101 11001111 11010111011 1011110101 1 110110011 001111 1101011101 011110111 111111 11011101 110111101 110101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 663
Words 124
Sentences 8
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 9, 9
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 244
Words per stanza (avg) 61
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
122

Richard Lovelace

Richard Lovelace was an English poet more…

All Richard Lovelace poems | Richard Lovelace Books

0 fans

Discuss this Richard Lovelace poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30213/song>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    17
    hours
    38
    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?

    »
    The author of a poem is called ______.
    A Speaker
    B Poet
    C Writer
    D Author