Analysis of The Ruined Maid

Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)



"O 'Melia, my dear, this does everything crown!
Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town?
And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?"-
"O didn't you know I'd been ruined?" said she.

-"You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks,
Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks;
And now you've gay bracelets and bright feathers three!"-
"Yes: that's how we dress when we're ruined," said she.

-"At home in the barton you said 'thee' and 'thou,'
And 'thik oon' and 'theäs oon' and 't'other'; but now
Your talking quite fits 'ee for high compan-ny!"-
"Some polish is gained with one's ruin," said she.

-"Your hands were like paws then, you face blue and bleak
But now I'm bewitched by your delicate cheek,
And your little gloves fit as on any la-dy!"-
"We never do work when we're ruined," said she.

-"You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream,
And you'd sigh, and you'd sock; but at present you seem
To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!"-
"True. One's pretty lively when ruined," said she.

-"I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown,
And a delicate face, and could strut about Town"-
"My dear - raw country girl, such as you be,

Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined," said she.


Scheme AABC DDCC EEAC FFBC GGBC AAC C
Poetic Form
Metre 11001111101 11101111101 01111010101 11011111011 11101001111 101100100111 01111001101 11111111011 11001011101 0110011011011 1101111111 11011111011 11011111101 11101111001 011011111011 11011111011 11111101101 011011111011 11111111 11101011011 11111001101 001001011011 1111011111 101011111011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,195
Words 229
Sentences 17
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 1
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 37
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 127
Words per stanza (avg) 31
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:12 min read
172

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, was not a Scottish Minister, not a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland nor a Professor of Eccesiastical History at Edinburgh University. more…

All Thomas Hardy poems | Thomas Hardy Books

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