Analysis of Modern Love XVIII: Here Jack and Tom

George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)



Here Jack and Tom are paired with Moll and Meg.
Curved open to the river-reach is seen
A country merry-making on the green.
Fair space for signal shakings of the leg.
That little screwy fiddler from his booth,
Whence flows one nut-brown stream, commands the joints
Of all who caper here at various points.
I have known rustic revels in my youth:
The May-fly pleasures of a mind at ease.
An early goddess was a county lass:
A charmed Amphion-oak she tripped the grass.
What life was that I lived? The life of these?
Heaven keep them happy! Nature they seem near.
They must, I think, be wiser than I am;
They have the secret of the bull and lamb.
'Tis true that when we trace its source, 'tis beer.


Scheme ABBACDDCEFFEGHHG
Poetic Form
Metre 1101111101 1101010111 0101010101 111101101 11010100111 1111110101 11110111001 1111010011 0111010111 1101010101 01111101 1111110111 10111010111 1111110111 1101010101 1111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 704
Words 132
Sentences 13
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 540
Words per stanza (avg) 130
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
94

George Meredith

George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. more…

All George Meredith poems | George Meredith Books

1 fan

Discuss this George Meredith poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Modern Love XVIII: Here Jack and Tom" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15532/modern-love-xviii%3A-here-jack-and-tom>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    13
    hours
    13
    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?

    »
    What American novelist took the title of his novel from a Robert Burns poem?
    A John Dos Passos
    B Thomas Wolfe
    C John Steinbeck
    D Thornton Wilder