Analysis of Corinna's Going A-Maying
Get up, get up for shame, the blooming Morn
Upon her wings presents the god unshorn.
See how Aurora throws her fair
Fresh-quilted colours through the air;
Get up, sweet slug-a-bed, and see
The dew bespangling herb and tree.
Each flower has wept, and bow'd toward the east,
Above an hour since; yet you not drest,
Nay! not so much as out of bed?
When all the birds have matins said,
And sung their thankful hymns, 'tis sin,
Nay, profanation, to keep in,
Whenas a thousand virgins on this day
Spring, sooner than the lark, to fetch in May.
Rise; and put on your foliage, and be seen
To come forth, like the spring-time, fresh and green;
And sweet as Flora. Take no care
For jewels for your gown, or hair;
Fear not, the leaves will strew
Gems in abundance upon you;
Besides, the childhood of the day has kept,
Against you come, some orient pearls unwept;
Come and receive them while the light
Hangs on the dew-locks of the night;
And Titan on the eastern hill
Retires himself, or else stands still
Till you come forth. Wash, dress, be brief in praying;
Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying.
Come, my Corinna, come; and, coming, mark
How each field turns a street, each street a park
Made green and trimm'd with trees; see how
Devotion gives each house a bough
Or branch; each porch, each door ere this
An ark, a tabernacle is,
Made up of white-thorn, neatly interwove;
As if here were those cooler shades of love.
Can such delights be in the street
And open fields and we not see't?
Come, we'll abroad; and let's obey
The proclamation made for May,
And sin no more, as we have done, by staying;
But my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.
There's not a budding boy, or girl, this day,
But is got up, and gone to bring in May.
A deal of youth, ere this, is come
Back, and with white-thorn laden, home.
Some have despatch'd their cakes and cream,
Before that we have left to dream;
And some have wept, and woo'd, and plighted troth,
And chose their priest, ere we can cast off sloth;
Many a green-gown has been given;
Many a kiss, both odd and even;
Many a glance too has been sent
From out the eye, love's firmament;
Many a jest told of the keys betraying
This night, and locks pick'd, yet we're not a-Maying.
Come, let us go, while we are in our prime;
And take the harmless folly of the time.
We shall grow old apace, and die
Before we know our liberty.
Our life is short, and our days run
As fast away as does the sun;
And as a vapour, or a drop of rain,
Once lost, can ne'er be found again,
So when or you or I are made
A fable, song, or fleeting shade,
All love, all liking, all delight
Lies drown'd with us in endless night.
Then while time serves, and we are but decaying,
Come, my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGG HHBBIIXDJJKKLL MMNNXXOOXCGGLL GGXXPPQQRFXDLL SSXCRRXXTTJJLL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (24%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1111110101 010110011 11010101 1101101 11110101 011101 11011010101 0111011111 11111111 1101111 01110111 1010110 101010111 1101011101 1011110011 1111011101 01110111 11011111 110111 10010011 010110111 011111011 10011101 11011101 01010101 01011111 11111111010 1111111101 111010101 1111011101 11011111 01011101 11111111 1101001 11111101 1110110111 11011001 010101111 11010101 0010111 01111111110 111011101 1101011111 1111011101 01111111 10111101 1111101 01111111 011101011 0111111111 100111110 100111010 10011111 110111 10011101010 1101111101 11111110101 0101010101 11110101 011110100 1011101011 11011101 010110111 11111101 11111111 01011101 11110101 11110101 11110111010 111011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,817 |
Words | 518 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 14, 14, 14, 14, 14 |
Lines Amount | 70 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 413 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 103 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:40 min read
- 71 Views
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"Corinna's Going A-Maying" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31285/corinna%27s-going-a-maying>.
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