Analysis of St. Margaret's Eve
William Allingham 1824 (Ballyshannon) – 1889 (Hampstead)
Saint Margaret's Eve it did befall,
The waves roll so gayly O,
The tide came creeping up the wall,
Love me true!
I opened my gate; who there should stand--
The waves roll so gayly O,
But a fair lady, with a cup in her hand,
Love me true!
The cup was gold, and full of wine,
The waves roll so gayly O,
'Drink,' said the lady, 'and I will be thine,'
Love me true!
'Enter my castle, lady fair,'
The waves roll so gayly O,
'You shall be queen of all that's there,'
Love me true!
A gray old harper sang to me,
The waves roll so gayly O,
'Beware of the Damsel of the Sea!'
Love me true!
In hall he harpeth many a year,
The waves roll so gayly O,
And we will sit his song to hear,
Love me true!
'I love thee deep, I love thee true,'
The waves roll so gayly O,
'But ah! I know not how to woo,'
Love me true!
Down dashed the cup, with a sudden shock,
The waves roll so gayly O,
The wine like blood ran over the rock,
Love me true!
She said no word, but shrieked aloud,
The waves roll so gayly O,
And vanished away from where she stood,
Love me true!
I locked and barred my castle door,
The waves roll so gayly O,
Three summer days I grieved sore,
Love me true!
For myself a day, a night,
The waves roll so gayly O,
And two to moan that lady bright,
Love me true!
Scheme | aBaC dBdC eBeC fBfC gBgC xBxC cBcC hBhC xBxC iBiC jBjC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110011101 011111 01110101 111 110111111 011111 10110101001 111 01110111 011111 1101001111 111 10110101 011111 11111111 111 01110111 011111 011010101 111 01111001 011111 01111111 111 11111111 011111 11111111 111 110110101 011111 011111001 111 11111101 011111 010011111 111 11011101 011111 1101111 111 110101 011111 01111101 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,218 |
Words | 270 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 84 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:19 min read
- 107 Views
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"St. Margaret's Eve" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39018/st.-margaret%27s-eve>.
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