Analysis of Sonnet 61: Oft With True Sighs

Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)



Oft with true sighs, oft with uncalled tears,
Now with slow words, now with dumb eloquence
I Stella's eyes assail, invade her ears;
But this at last is her sweet breath'd defense:

That who indeed infelt affection bears,
So captives to his saint both soul and sense,
That wholly hers, all selfness he forbears,
Thence his desires he learns, his life's course thence.

Now since her chaste mind hates this love in me,
With chasten'd mind, I straight must show that she
Shall quickly me from what she hates remove.

Oh Doctor Cupid, thou for me reply,
Driv'n else to grant by angel's sophistry,
That I love not, without I leave to love.


Scheme AXXB ABAB CCX XXX
Poetic Form
Metre 111111011 1111111100 1101010101 1111101101 110110101 1101111101 11001111 11010111111 1101111101 1101111111 1101111101 1101011101 1111111 1111011111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 638
Words 115
Sentences 4
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 123
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 31, 2023

36 sec read
134

Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. more…

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