Analysis of Lord Nevil's Advice
Ada Cambridge 1844 (St Germans, Norfolk) – 1926 (Melbourne)
“Friend,” quoth Lord Nevil, “thou art young
To face the world, and thou art blind
To subtle ways of womankind;
The meshes thou wilt fall among.
“Take an old married man's advice;
Use the experience I have earned;
Watch well where women are concerned,—
They're not all birds of paradise!
“Be circumspect, or thou mayst fall;
Abjure a blind faith—nay, trust none—
Till thou hast chosen, proven one;
Then trust her truly—trust in all.
“Keep a calm brain and quiet eye,
And watch. The doll of powder and paint,
The flirt, the artificial saint,
The loud man-woman—pass them by.
“The innocent one, who craves thy cares
To shield her from life's fret and fray;
Lad, watch her—maybe she'll betray
Some doubtful knowledge, unawares.
“The pensive one, who droops and sighs—
Wait till her dreaming comes to test;
Be gentle, yet be wary, lest
'Tis but a graceful grey disguise.
“The world-wise husband-hunter—she
Who knows no love but love of gold,
And lands and titles—empty, cold,—
Pity her, lad, and let her be.
“And the rich heiress—let her pass.
Belike she's stupid, drugged with wealth,
And just enjoys her life and health
As some fat cow in clover grass.
“Or insolent with prosperity,
Unsharpened, shallow, unrefined;—
And thou art poor, and thou wilt mind
That proud blood cometh down to thee.
“The gushing gossip—she who rains
Incessant chatter in thine ears;—
She may be worth thy keenest fears,
She may be simply lacking brains,
“And lacking grace and modesty.
She will make mischief, at the best;
She may be wily, like the rest;
Keep thy tongue still when she is by.
“They that would master thee, if they could,
In brain and muscle—flaring lights—
The clamorous for false woman's rights;—
Snub them, my friend—it does them good—
“And do not think of them for wives.
Fit mates for such seem somewhat rare;
But when two odd ones make a pair,
They spoil at least four precious lives.
“But shouldst thou chance to meet a girl
With brave, bright eyes, that front thee straight,
A kindly tongue that does not prate,
And quiet lips that cannot curl;
“With fine sense, quick to understand;
With dignity that is not cold,
Sweet, sunny mirth that is not bold,
A ready ear, a willing hand;
“One skilled in household arts, and skilled
In little courteous, graceful ways,
That make no show and win no praise—
Wherewith discordant jars are stilled:
“One who will never touch a sore;
One who sheds sunshine round about,
And draws life's hidden comfort out;
One whom the boys and babes adore:
“One with an intellect to reach
The highest range that thou canst rise;
Who will aye help thee, woman-wise,
And yet not set herself to teach:
“One of whom women love to speak,
In honest kindness, and whose name
Men let alone; whose chiefest fame
Lies hidden where men may not seek;—
“Friend, woo her, as a good knight can,
And win her. Lay thou at her feet
Faith, love, and honour, true and sweet;
And count thyself a happy man.”
Scheme | ABBA CDDC EFFE GHHG IJJI KLLK MNNM OPPOMBBM QR RQ MLLG STTS XUUX VXBV WNNW XYYX Z1 1 Z 2 KK2 3 4 4 3 5 6 6 5 |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11101111 11010111 110111 01011101 11110101 100100111 11110101 1111110 1101111 1011111 11110101 11010101 10110101 010111001 0100101 01110111 010011111 11011101 11010101 1101001 01011101 11010111 11011101 11010101 01110101 11111111 01010101 10010101 00110101 1110111 01010101 11110101 110010100 0101001 01110111 11110111 01010111 01010011 11111101 11110101 01010100 11110101 11110101 11111111 111101111 01010101 0111101 11111111 01111111 11111111 11111101 11111101 11111101 11111111 01011111 01011101 1111101 11001111 11011111 01010101 1101101 010100101 11110111 1010111 11110101 1111101 01110101 11010101 1111011 01011111 11111101 01110111 11110111 01010011 1101111 11011111 11010111 01011101 1101101 0110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,923 |
Words | 522 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 20 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 80 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 112 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:38 min read
- 62 Views
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"Lord Nevil's Advice" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/77/lord-nevil%27s-advice>.
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