Analysis of To Ladies' Eyes

Thomas Moore 1779 (Dublin) – 1852 (Bromham)



To Ladies' eyes a round, boy,
We can't refuse, we can't refuse;
Though bright eyes so abound, boy,
'Tis hard to choose, 'tis hard to choose.
For thick as stars that lighten
Yon airy bowers, yon airy bowers,
The countless eyes that brighten
This earth of ours, this earth of ours.
But fill the cup -- where'er, boy,
Our choice may fall, our choice may fall,
We're sure to find Love there, boy,
So drink them all! so drink them all!

Some looks there are so holy,
They seem but given, they seem but given,
As shining beacons, solely,
To light to heaven, to light to heaven,
While some -- oh! ne'er believe them --
With tempting ray, with tempting ray,
Would lead us (God forgive them!)
The other way, the other way.
But fill the cup -- where'er, boy,
Our choice may fall, our choice may fall,
We're sure to find Love there, boy;
So drink them all! so drink them all!

In some, as in a mirror,
Love seems pourtray'd, Love seems pourtray'd,
But shun the flattering error,
'Tis but his shade, 'tis but his shade.
Himself has fix'd his dwelling
In eyes we know, in eyes we know,
And lips -- but this is telling --
So here they go! so here they go!
Fill up, fill up -- where'er, boy,
Our choice may fall, our choice may fall,
We're sure to find Love there, boy;
So drink them all ! so drink them all!


Scheme ababcdcdAEAE fcfcghghAEAE ijijklklaEAe
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011 11011101 1111011 11111111 1111110 1101011010 0101110 1111011110 1101101 1011110111 1111111 11111111 1111110 1111011110 11010100 1111011110 1111011 11011101 1111011 01010101 1101101 1011110111 1111111 11111111 0110010 111111 11010010 11111111 0111110 01110111 0111110 11111111 1111101 1011110111 1111111 11111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,299
Words 250
Sentences 15
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 12, 12, 12
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 317
Words per stanza (avg) 83
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:18 min read
37

Thomas Moore

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet singer songwriter and entertainer now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and the The Last Rose of Summer more…

All Thomas Moore poems | Thomas Moore Books

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