Analysis of To His Coy Love

Michael Drayton 1563 (Hartshill) – 1631 (London)



I PRAY thee, leave, love me no more,
   Call home the heart you gave me!
I but in vain that saint adore
   That can but will not save me.
These poor half-kisses kill me quite--
   Was ever man thus served?
Amidst an ocean of delight
   For pleasure to be starved?

Show me no more those snowy breasts
   With azure riverets branched,
Where, whilst mine eye with plenty feasts,
   Yet is my thirst not stanched;
O Tantalus, thy pains ne'er tell!
   By me thou art prevented:
'Tis nothing to be plagued in Hell,
   But thus in Heaven tormented.

Clip me no more in those dear arms,
   Nor thy life's comfort call me,
O these are but too powerful charms,
   And do but more enthral me!
But see how patient I am grown
   In all this coil about thee:
Come, nice thing, let my heart alone,
   I cannot live without thee!


Scheme ABABCXCX XDXDEFEF GBGBHBHB
Poetic Form
Metre 11111111 1101111 11011101 1111111 11110111 110111 01110101 110111 11111101 11011 11111101 111111 11001111 1111010 11011101 1101010 11110111 1111011 111111001 0111011 11110111 0111011 11111101 1101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 820
Words 151
Sentences 9
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 199
Words per stanza (avg) 50
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
100

Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. more…

All Michael Drayton poems | Michael Drayton Books

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