Analysis of In The Downhill Of Life
William Collins 1721 (Chichester) – 1759 (Chichester)
In the downhill of life, when I find I'm declining,
May my lot no less fortunate be
Than a snug elbow-chair can afford for reclining,
And a cot that o'erlooks the wide sea;
With an ambling pad-pony to pace o'er the lawn,
While I carol away idle sorrow,
And blithe as the lark that each day hails the dawn
Look forward with hope for tomorrow.
With a porch at my door, both for shelter and shade too,
As the sunshine or rain may prevail;
And a small spot of ground for the use of the spade too,
With a barn for the use of the flail;
A cow for my dairy, a dog for my game,
And a purse when a friend wants to borrow;
I'll envy no Nabob his riches or fame,
Nor what honours may wait him tomorrow.
From the bleak northern blast may my cot be completely
Secured by a neighbouring hill;
And at night may repose steal upon me more sweetly
By the sound of a murmuring rill;
And while peace and plenty I find at my board,
With a heart free from sickness and sorrow,
With my friends may I share what today may afford,
And let them spread the table tomorrow.
And when I at last must throw off this frail cov'ring
Which I've worn for threescore years and ten,
On the brink of the grave I'll not seek to keep hov'ring,
Nor my thread wish to spin o'er again;
But my face in the glass I'll serenely survey,
And with smiles count each wrinkle and furrow;
As this old worn-out stuff, which is threadbare today,
May become everlasting tomorrow.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGDGD BHBHIDID AJAJKDKD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0011111111010 111111001 101111011010 00111011 1110011111001 1110011010 01101111101 11011101 1011111110011 10111101 0011111011011 101101101 01111001111 001101111 11011011011 11111101 1011011111010 011011 0111011011110 101101001 01101011111 1011110010 111111101101 011101001 01111111111 11111101 101101111111 1111111001 1110011010001 0111110010 11111111101 10101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,401 |
Words | 278 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 276 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 69 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 20, 2023
- 1:26 min read
- 129 Views
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