Analysis of On Mrs. Montague's Feather Hangings
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
The Birds put off their every hue,
To dress a room for Montagu.
The peacock sends his heavenly dyes,
His rainbows and his starry eyes;
The pheasant plumes, which round enfold
His mantling neck with downy gold;
The cock his arch’d tail’s azure show;
And, river-blanch’d, the swan his snow.
All tribes beside of Indian name,
That glossy shine, or vivid flame,
Where rises, and where sets the day,
Whate'er they boast of rich and gay,
Contribute to the gorgeous plan,
Proud to advance it all they can.
This plumage neither dashing shower,
Nor blasts, that shake the dripping bower,
Shall drench again or discompose,
But, screen'd from every storm that blows,
It boasts a splendour ever new,
Safe with protecting Montagu.
To the same patroness resort,
Secure of favour at her court,
Strong Genius, from whose forge of thought
Forms rise, to quick perfection wrought,
Which, though new-born, with vigour move,
Like Pallas springing arm'd from Jove--
Imagination scattering round
Wild roses over furrow'd ground,
Which Labour of his frown beguile,
And teach Philosophy a smile--
Wit flashing on Religion’s side,
Whose fires, to sacred truth applied,
The gem, though luminous before,
Obtrude on human notice more,
Like sunbeams on the golden height
Of some tall temple playing bright--
Well tutor’d Learning, from his books
Dismiss'd with grave, not haughty, looks,
Their order on his shelves exact,
Not more harmonious or compact
Than that to which he keeps confined
The various treasures of his mind--
All these to Montagu's repair,
Ambitious of a shelter there.
There Genius, Learning, Fancy, Wit,
Their ruffled plumage calm refit
(For stormy troubles loudest roar
Around their flight who highest soar),
And in her eye, and by her aid,
Shine safe without a fear to fade.
She thus maintains divided sway
With yon bright regent of the day;
The Plume and Poet both we know
Their lustre to his influence owe;
And she the works of Phœbus aiding,
Both Poet saves and Plume from fading.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHBIAAJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVVPPWWFFDDXX |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011111001 1101110 01111001 1101101 01011101 1111101 01111101 01010111 110111001 11011101 11001101 10111101 01010101 11011111 110101010 111101010 110111 111100111 1101101 1101010 10110001 0111101 11011111 11110101 1111111 11010111 00101001 11010101 1111101 01010001 11010101 110110101 01110001 01110101 1110101 11110101 1110111 01111101 11011101 110100110 11111101 010010111 1111001 01010101 11010101 11010101 11010101 01111101 00010101 11010111 11010101 11110101 01010111 110111001 0101111110 110101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,939 |
Words | 333 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 56 |
Lines Amount | 56 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,560 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 331 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:41 min read
- 64 Views
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"On Mrs. Montague's Feather Hangings" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40034/on-mrs.-montague%27s-feather-hangings>.
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