Analysis of Willow Waly!
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
[HE.] PRITHEE, pretty maiden - prithee, tell me true
(Hey, but I'm doleful, willow, willow waly!)
Have you e'er a lover a-dangling after you?
Hey, willow waly O!
I would fain discover
If you have a lover?
Hey, willow waly O!
[SHE.] Gentle sir, my heart is frolicsome and free -
(Hey, but he's doleful, willow, willow waly!)
Nobody I care for comes a-courting me -
Hey, willow waly O!
Nobody I care for
Comes a-courting - therefore,
Hey, willow waly O!
[HE.] Prithee, pretty maiden, will you marry me?
(Hey, but I'm hopeful, willow, willow waly!)
I may say, at once, I'm a man of propertee -
Hey, willow waly O!
Money, I despise it,
But many people prize it,
Hey, willow waly O!
[SHE.] Gentle sir, although to marry I design -
(Hey, but he's hopeful, willow, willow waly!)
As yet I do not know you, and so I must decline.
Hey, willow waly O!
To other maidens go you -
As yet I do not know you,
Hey, willow waly O!
Scheme | abaCddC ebeCffC ebgCggC hbhCaaC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110101111 11110111 11100100100101 1111 111010 111010 1111 1101111101 11110111 111110101 1111 1111 10101 1111 11101011101 11110111 1111110111 1111 101011 1101011 1111 11011110101 11110111 1111111011101 1111 1101011 1111111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 897 |
Words | 184 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 165 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 30 Views
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"Willow Waly!" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41357/willow-waly%21>.
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