A Birthday

What happens?

Celebratory

First day, new beginnings

Structure

• 8 lines in each stanza, 2 stanzas

• Song-like rhythm

Form

Stress on verb → urgency

Stress on nature → stanza 1

/u trochee

4 trochee = trochaic tetrameter

“my heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea”

Tranquillity and happiness while being vibrant and loud

“pomegranates”

Lust, fertility and everlasting life

“fleurs de lys”

Lily = peace

Heraldic (armoury), royalty (“purple”)

“my love is come to me”

Both stanzas have the same end line, after nature and money. Both lead to same thing so money is not as important as made out to be

“Peacock”

All seeing omnipotent God. Also links to royalty and wealth

Stanzas

Stanza 1

Same number of lines and rhyme scheme

Iambic

Spiritual and calm

Nature

Stanza 2

Same number of lines and rhyme scheme

Trochee

Urgency

Money

Birds

Peacock, songbird, doves

Fruits

Apple (Eve), pomegranates, grapes

Halcyon

Denoting a past time that is happy and peaceful