Analysis of The Surrender
Henry King 1592 (Worminghall, Buckinghamshire) – 1669 (Chichester)
MY once dear love, hapless that I no more
Must call thee so, the rich affection's store
That fed our hope lies now exhaust and spent,
Like sums of treasure unto bankrupts lent.
We, that did nothing study but the way
To love each other, with which thoughts the day
Rose with delight to us and with them set,
Must learn the hateful art, how to forget.
We that did nothing wish that Heaven would give
Beyond ourselves, nor did desire to live
Beyond that wish, all these now cancel must
As if not writ in faith, but words and dust.
Yet witness those clear vows which lovers make,
Witness the chaste desires that never brake
Into unruly heats; witness that breast
Which in thy bosom anchor'd his whole rest;
'Tis no default in us: I dare acquite
Thy maiden faith, thy purpose fair and white
As thy pure self. Cross planets did envý
Us to each other, and Heaven did untie
Faster than vows could bind. Oh, that the stars,
When lovers meet, should stand opposed in wars!
Since, then, some higher destinies command,
Let us not strive, nor labor to withstand
What is past help. The longest date of grief
Can never yield a hope of our relief;
And though we waste ourselves in moist laments,
Tears may drown us, but not our discontents.
Fold back our arms, take home our fruitless loves,
That must new fortunes try, like turtle doves
Dislodgëd from their haunts. We must in tears
Unwind a love knit up in many years.
In this last kiss I here surrender thee
Back to thy self, so thou again art free;
Thou in another, sad as that, resend
The truest heart that lover e'er did lend.
Now turn from each. So fare our severed hearts
As the divorced soul from her body parts.
Scheme | AABB CCDD EXFF GGHHBXEXXX IIJJKK LLXXMMBX NN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111101111 11110111 11101110101 111101011 1111010101 1111011101 1101110111 1101011101 11110111011 010011101011 0111111101 1111011101 1101111101 10010101101 0101011011 1011010111 110101111 1101110101 111111011 11110010101 1011111101 1101110101 1111010001 1111110101 1111010111 11010111001 01110010101 1111111001 111011110101 1111011101 111111101 0101110101 0111110101 1111110111 100101111 01011101011 11111110101 1001110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,665 |
Words | 310 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 10, 6, 8, 2 |
Lines Amount | 38 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 185 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 44 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 71 Views
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"The Surrender" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17680/the-surrender>.
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