Analysis of Sad-Eyed and Soft and Grey

William Morris 1834 (Walthamstow) – 1896 (London)



Sad-Eyed and soft and grey thou art, o morn!
Across the long grass of the marshy plain
Thy west wind whispers of the coming rain,
Thy lark forgets that May is grown forlorn
Above the lush blades of the springing corn,
Thy thrush within the high elms strives in vain
To store up tales of spring for summer's pain -
Vain day, why wert thou from the dark night born?

O many-voiced strange morn, why must thou break
With vain desire the softness of my dream
Where she and I alone on earth did seem?
How hadst thou heart from me that land to take
Wherein she wandered softly for my sake
And I and she no harm of love might deem?


Scheme ABBAABBA CDDCCD
Poetic Form Petrarchan sonnet 
Metre 1101011111 0101110101 1111010101 1101111101 0101110101 1101011101 1111111101 1111110111 1101111111 11010010111 1101011111 1111111111 0111010111 0101111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 618
Words 124
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 245
Words per stanza (avg) 61
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
170

William Morris

William Morris, Mayor of Galway, 1527-28. more…

All William Morris poems | William Morris Books

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