Analysis of He and She
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
[HE.] I know a youth who loves a little maid -
(Hey, but his face is a sight for to see!)
Silent is he, for he's modest and afraid -
(Hey, but he's timid as a youth can be!)
[SHE.] I know a maid who loves a gallant youth -
(Hey, but she sickens as the days go by!)
SHE cannot tell him all the sad, sad truth -
(Hey, but I think that little maid will die!)
[BOTH.] Now tell me pray, and tell me true,
What in the world should the poor soul do?
[HE.] He cannot eat and he cannot sleep -
(Hey, but his face is a sight for to see!)
Daily he goes for to wail - for to weep -
(Hey, but he's wretched as a youth can be!)
[SHE.] She's very thin and she's very pale -
(Hey, but she sickens as the days go by!)
Daily she goes for to weep - for to wail -
(Hey, but I think that little maid will die!)
[BOTH.] Now tell me pray, and tell me true,
What in the world should the poor soul do?
[SHE.] If I were the youth I should offer her my name -
(Hey, but her face is a sight for to see!)
[HE.] If I were the maid I should fan his honest flame -
(Hey, but he's bashful as a youth can be!)
[SHE.] If I were the youth I should speak to her to-day -
(Hey, but she sickens as the days go by!)
[HE.] If I were the maid I should meet the lad half way -
(For I really do believe that timid youth will die!)
[BOTH.] I thank you much for your counsel true;
I've learnt what that poor soul ought to do!
Scheme | aBabcDcDEE fBfbgDgDEE hbhbiDidee |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101110101 1111101111 10111110001 1111010111 11101110101 111110111 1101110111 1111110111 111110111 100110111 1110101101 1111101111 1011111111 1111010111 1110101101 111110111 1011111111 1111110111 111110111 100110111 1110011110011 1101101111 1110011111101 1111010111 1110011111011 111110111 1110011110111 1110101110111 1111111101 111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,369 |
Words | 325 |
Sentences | 27 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10, 10 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 330 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 104 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 30, 2023
- 1:39 min read
- 82 Views
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"He and She" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41231/he-and-she>.
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