Analysis of The Shepherdess

Alice Meynell 1847 (London) – 1922



She walks-the lady of my delight-
A shepherdess of sheep.
Her flocks are thoughts. She keeps them white;
She keeps them from the steep;
She feeds them on the fragrant height,
And folds them in for sleep.

She roams maternal hills and bright,
Dark valleys safe and deep.
Into that tender breast at night
The chastest stars may peep.
She walks-the lady of my delight-
A shepherdess of sheep.

She holds her little thoughts in sight,
Though gay they run and leap.
She is so circumspect and right;
She has her soul to keep.
She walks-the lady of my delight-
A shepherdess of sheep.


Scheme ABabab ababAB ababAB
Poetic Form
Metre 110101101 0111 01111111 111101 11110101 011011 11010101 110101 01110111 01111 110101101 0111 11010101 111101 1111001 110111 110101101 0111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 581
Words 106
Sentences 10
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 150
Words per stanza (avg) 35
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

31 sec read
121

Alice Meynell

Alice Christiana Gertrude Meynell was an English writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet. more…

All Alice Meynell poems | Alice Meynell Books

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