Analysis of In Memoriam 16: I envy not in any moods



I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage,
The linnet born within the cage,
That never knew the summer woods:

I envy not the beast that takes
His license in the field of time,
Unfetter'd by the sense of crime,
To whom a conscience never wakes;

Nor, what may count itself as blest,
The heart that never plighted troth
But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;
Nor any want-begotten rest.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.


Scheme XAAX BCCB DEED FXXF
Poetic Form Quatrain  (50%)
Metre 11010101 01011101 01010101 11010101 11010111 11000111 01010111 11010101 11110111 0111011 1100111 11010101 11111001 11111101 11011101 11011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 519
Words 103
Sentences 3
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 102
Words per stanza (avg) 25
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

31 sec read
215

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets.  more…

All Alfred Lord Tennyson poems | Alfred Lord Tennyson Books

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    "In Memoriam 16: I envy not in any moods" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/994/in-memoriam-16%3A-i-envy-not-in-any-moods>.

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