Analysis of Young Reynard

George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)



Gracefullest leaper, the dappled fox-cub
Curves over brambles with berries and buds,
Light as a bubble that flies from the tub,
Whisked by the laundry-wife out of her suds.
Wavy he comes, woolly, all at his ease,
Elegant, fashioned to foot with the deuce;
Nature's own prince of the dance: then he sees
Me, and retires as if making excuse.

Never closed minuet courtlier! Soon
Cub-hunting troops were abroad, and a yelp
Told of sure scent: ere the stroke upon noon
Reynard the younger lay far beyond help.
Wild, my poor friend, has the fate to be chased;
Civil will conquer: were 't other 'twere worse;
Fair, by the flushed early morning embraced,
Haply you live a day longer in verse.


Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH
Poetic Form Traditional rhyme
Metre 110111 1101011001 1101011101 1101011101 1011101111 1001011101 1011101111 1001111001 1010111 1101001001 1111101011 1001011011 1111101111 10110011011 1101101001 111011001
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 680
Words 125
Sentences 6
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 267
Words per stanza (avg) 61
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
54

George Meredith

George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. more…

All George Meredith poems | George Meredith Books

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