Analysis of A Poem To His Magesty, Presented To The Lord Keeper. To The Right Hon. Sir John Somers, Lord Keeper

Joseph Addison 1672 (Milston) – 1719 (Holland House, London)



If yet your thoughts are loose from state affairs,
Nor feel the burden of a kingdom's cares;
If yet your time and actions are your own;
Receive the present of a Muse unknown:
A Must that, in adventurous numbers, sings
The rout of armies,a nd the fall of Kings,
Britain advanc'd, and Europe's peace restor'd,
By Somers' counsels, and by Nassau's sword.
To you, my Lord, these daring thoughts belong
Who help'd to raise the subject of my song;
To you the hero of my verse reveals
His great designs, to you in council tells
His inmost thoughts, determining the doom
Of towns unstorm'd, and battles yet to come.
And well could you, in your immortal strains,
Describe His conduct, and reward his pains:
But, since the state has all your cares ingross'd
And poetry in higher thoughts is lost,
Attend to what a lesser Muse indites,,
Pardon her faults, and countenance her flights.
On you, my Lord, with anxious fear I wait,
And from your judgment must expect my fate,
Who, free from vulgar passions, are above
Degrading envy, or misguided love:
If you, well pleas'd, shall smile upon my lays,
Secure of fame, my voice I'll boldly raise,
For next to what you write, is what you praise.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFGHIJJDKALMMNNOOO
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111101 1101010101 1111010111 0101010101 01100100101 011110111 1001010101 110100111 1111110101 1111001111 1101011101 1101110101 111010001 111010111 0111010101 0110100111 110111111 0100010111 011101011 1001010001 1111110111 0111010111 1111010101 0101010101 1111110111 0111111101 1111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,185
Words 213
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 27
Lines Amount 27
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 913
Words per stanza (avg) 210
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:06 min read
55

Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. more…

All Joseph Addison poems | Joseph Addison Books

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    "A Poem To His Magesty, Presented To The Lord Keeper. To The Right Hon. Sir John Somers, Lord Keeper" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24488/a-poem-to-his-magesty%2C-presented-to-the-lord-keeper.--to-the-right-hon.-sir-john-somers%2C-lord-keeper>.

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