Analysis of A Plain Life
William Henry Davies 1871 – 1940
No idle gold -- since this fine sun, my friend,
Is no mean miser, but doth freely spend.
No prescious stones -- since these green mornings show,
Without a charge, their pearls where'er I go.
No lifeless books -- since birds with their sweet tongues
Will read aloud to me their happier songs.
No painted scenes -- since clouds can change their skies
A hundred times a day to please my eyes.
No headstrong wine -- since, when I drink, the spring
Into my eager ears will softly sing.
No surplus clothes -- since every simple beast
Can teach me to be happy with the least.
| Scheme | AA BB XX CC DD EE |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Couplet |
| Metre | 1101111111 1111011101 111111101 0101111011 1101111111 11011111001 1101111111 0101011111 111111101 0111011101 11011100101 1111110101 |
| Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
| Characters | 571 |
| Words | 108 |
| Sentences | 7 |
| Stanzas | 6 |
| Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
| Lines Amount | 12 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
| Words per line (avg) | 9 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 73 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 18 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 09, 2023
- 32 sec read
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"A Plain Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40642/a-plain-life>.
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