L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas
Milton's early poems: the twin studies of mirth and melancholy, the masque, and the pastoral elegy for Edward King.
Measured across the book
Across its 1,603 lines, 94% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 93% to 94%). Alliteration runs at 1.12 times what shuffling the words would give (0.32 observed against 0.28 expected). 20% of the lines have a feminine ending.
Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.
Contents
L'Allegroiambic tetrameter · AABB · 153 linesIL Penserosoiambic tetrameter · AABB · 176 linesThe Personsiambic pentameter · 160 linesThe Measureiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 85 linesSongiambic pentameter · AABB · 14 linesComus: Can any mortal mixture of earth's mouldiambic pentameter · 89 linesThe Two Brothersiambic pentameter · unrhymed · 559 linesSongiambic tetrameter · AABB · 169 linesLycidasiambic pentameter · 198 lines
About this text
Public domain. Text from L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas, Project Gutenberg ebook #397. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.