Analysis of Epitaph on Mrs. Margaret Paston, of Barningham, in Norfolk

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



So fair, so young, so innocent, so sweet,
So ripe a judgment, and so rare a wit,
Require at least an age in one to meet.
In her they met; but long they could not stay,
'Twas gold too fine to fix without allay.
Heaven's image was in her so well exprest,
Her very sight upbraided all the rest;
Too justly ravished from an age like this,
Now she is gone, the world is of a piece.


Scheme ABACCADEF
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110011 1101001101 1011110111 0011111111 1111110101 1010100111 0101010101 110111111 1111011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 384
Words 79
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 9
Lines Amount 9
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 283
Words per stanza (avg) 77
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
336

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. more…

All John Dryden poems | John Dryden Books

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