Analysis of A Masque Of The Seasons

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



Scene.--_A kitchen.--Group of Children, popping corn.--The Fairy Queen
of the Seasons discovered in the smoke of the corn-popper.--Waving her
wand, and, with eerie, sharp, imperious ejaculations, addressing the
bespelled auditors, who neither see nor hear her nor suspect her
presence._

Summer or Winter or Spring or Fall,--
Which do you like the best of all?

When I'm dressed warm as warm can be,
And with boots, to go
Through the deepest snow,
Winter-time is the time for me!

Summer or Winter or Spring or Fall,--
Which do you like the best of all?

I like blossoms, and birds that sing;
The grass and the dew,
And the sunshine, too,--
So, best of all I like the Spring.

Summer or Winter or Spring or Fall,--
Which do you like the best of all?

O little friends, I most rejoice
When I hear the drums
As the Circus comes,--
So Summer-time's my special choice.

Summer or Winter or Spring or Fall,--
Which do you like the best of all?

Apples of ruby, and pears of gold,
And grapes of blue
That the bee stings through.--
Fall--it is all that my heart can hold!

Soh! my lovelings and pretty dears,
You've _each_ a favorite, it appears,--
Summer and Winter and Spring and Fall.--
That's the reason I send them _all_!


Scheme xaxab CC deed CC fggf CC bbbb CC hggh bbcc
Poetic Form
Metre 111011101010101 101001000110110100 101101010010100 110011011101010 1 101101111 11110111 11111111 01111 10101 10110111 101101111 11110111 11100111 01001 0011 11111101 101101111 11110111 11011101 11101 10101 11011101 101101111 11110111 101100111 0111 10111 111111111 1110101 110100101 100100101 10101111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,267
Words 246
Sentences 18
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 5, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 4
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 92
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
54

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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