Analysis of I live, and yet methinks I do not breathe

John Wilbye 1574 (Diss) – 1638 (Colchester)



I live, and yet methinks I do not breathe,
I thirst, and drink, and drink, and thirst again,
I sleep, and yet I dream I am awake,
I hope for that I have; I have and want:
I sing and sigh; I love and hate at once.
Oh! tell me, restless soul, what uncouth jar
Doth cause such want in store, in peace such war?


Scheme ABCDEFG
Poetic Form
Metre 110111111 1101010101 1101111101 1111111101 1101110111 1111011111 1111010111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 309
Words 67
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 7
Lines Amount 7
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 226
Words per stanza (avg) 65
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

20 sec read
64

John Wilbye

John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574 – September 1638) was an English madrigal composer. more…

All John Wilbye poems | John Wilbye Books

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