Analysis of They Flee From Me That Sometime Did Me Seek

David McKee Wright 1869 – 1928



They flee from me that sometime did me seek
With naked foot, stalking in my chamber.
I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek,
That now are wild and do not remember
That sometime they put themself in danger
To take bread at my hand; and now they range,
Busily seeking with a continual change.

Thanked be fortune it hath been otherwise
Twenty times better; but once in special,
In thin array after a pleasant guise,
When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall,
And she me caught in her arms long and small;
Therewithall sweetly did me kiss
And softly said, 'dear heart, how like you this?'

It was no dream: I lay broad waking.
But all is turned thorough my gentleness
Into a strange fashion of forsaking;
And I have leave to go of her goodness,
And she also, to use newfangleness.
But since that I so kindly am served
I would fain know what she hath deserved.


Scheme ABABBCC DXDEEFF GHGHDII
Poetic Form
Metre 111111111 1101100110 111110101 1111011010 111101010 1111110111 100101001001 111011110 1011011010 0101100101 1011101011 0111001101 110111 0101111111 111111110 1111101100 0101101010 0111111010 0110111 111111011 111111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 849
Words 164
Sentences 7
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 225
Words per stanza (avg) 54
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
71

David McKee Wright

David McKee Wright was an Irish-born poet and journalist, active in New Zealand and Australia. more…

All David McKee Wright poems | David McKee Wright Books

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