Analysis of On Happiness In This Life
Thomas Parnell 1679 (Dublin) – 1718
The morning opens very freshly gay
And life itself is in the month of May.
With green my fancy paints an arbour o'er
And flowrets with a thousand colours more;
Then falls to weaving that, and spreading these
And softly shakes them with an easy breeze,
With golden fruit adorns the bending shade,
Or trails a silver water o'er its bed.
Glide, gentle water, still more gently by
While in this summer-bower of bliss I lye
And sweetly sing of sense delighting flames,
And nymphs and shepherds soft invented names,
Or view the branches which around me twine
And praise their fruit, diffusing sprightly wine,
Or find new pleasures in the world to praise
And still with this return adorn my lays;
'Range round your gardens of eternal spring,
'Go range my senses while I sweetly sing.'
In vain, in vain alas, seduc'd by ill
And acted wildly by the force of will!
I tell my soul it will be constant May,
And Charm a season never made to stay,
My beauteous arbour will not stand a storm,
The world but promises, and can't perform:
Then fade ye leaves and wither all ye flow'rs,
I'll doat no longer in enchanted bow'rs;
But sadly mourn in melancholy song,
The vain conceits that held my soul so long.
The lusts that tempt us with delusive show,
And sin brought forth for everlasting woe.
Thus shall the notes to sorrow's object rise,
While frequent rests procure a place for sighs;
And as I moan upon the naked plain,
Be this the burthen closing ev'ry strain;
Return my senses, range no more abroad,
He'll only find his bliss, who seeks for God.
Scheme | AAXXBBXXCCDDEEFFGG HHAAIIBBJJKKLLMMXX |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101010101 0101100111 11110111010 01101011 1111010101 0101111101 1101010101 11010101011 1101011101 10110101111 0101110101 0101010101 1101010111 0111010101 1111000111 0111010111 1111010101 1111011101 0101010111 0101010111 1111111101 0101010111 111011101 0111000101 1111010111 1111000101 110101001 011111111 01111111 011110101 110111101 1101010111 0111010101 11011011 0111011101 1101111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,508 |
Words | 281 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 18, 18 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 603 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 139 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 104 Views
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"On Happiness In This Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37038/on-happiness-in-this-life>.
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