Analysis of Ninon De Lenclos, On Her Last Birthday

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



So let me have the rouge again,
  And comb my hair the curly way.
The poor young men, the dear young men
  They'll all be here by noon today.

And I shall wear the blue, I think-
  They beg to touch its rippled lace;
Or do they love me best in pink,
  So sweetly flattering the face?

And are you sure my eyes are bright,
  And is it true my cheek is clear?
Young what's-his-name stayed half the night;
  He vows to cut his throat, poor dear!

So bring my scarlet slippers, then,
  And fetch the powder-puff to me.
The dear young men, the poor young men-
  They think I'm only seventy!


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF AGAG
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11110101 01110101 01110111 11111101 01110111 11111101 11111101 11010001 01111111 01111111 11111101 11111111 11110101 01010111 01110111 11110100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 575
Words 114
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 107
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
155

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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