Analysis of On the Death of Richard West

Thomas Gray 1716 (Cornhill, London) – 1771 (Cambridge)



1     In vain to me the smiling Mornings shine,
2         And reddening Phœbus lifts his golden fire;
3     The birds in vain their amorous descant join;
4         Or cheerful fields resume their green attire;
5     These ears, alas! for other notes repine,
6         A different object do these eyes require;
7     My lonely anguish melts no heart but mine;
8         And in my breast the imperfect joys expire.
9     Yet Morning smiles the busy race to cheer,
10       And new-born pleasure brings to happier men;
11   The fields to all their wonted tribute bear;
12       To warm their little loves the birds complain;
13   I fruitless mourn to him that cannot hear,
14       And weep the more because I weep in vain.


Scheme ABCBABADEFGHIH
Poetic Form
Metre 0111010101 01111111010 0101110011 11010111010 110111011 01001011110 1101011111 00110010101 1101010111 01110111001 011111101 1111010101 1101111101 0101011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 716
Words 124
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 14
Letters per stanza (avg) 507
Words per stanza (avg) 196
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
93

Thomas Gray

Thomas Gray, C. more…

All Thomas Gray poems | Thomas Gray Books

0 fans

Discuss this Thomas Gray poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On the Death of Richard West" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36291/on-the-death-of-richard-west>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    14
    days
    7
    hours
    15
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who was “admirably schooled in every grace”?
    A J. Alfred Prufrock
    B Odysseus
    C Miniver Cheevy
    D Richard Cory