Analysis of Quo Vadis Et Ego Rogabo
This poem is dedicated to
75580 Pte. Frank Stanley Jeeves (1894-1961)
Tank Corps (Machine Gun Corps)
who survived the 1914-18 conflict, and also to his
51/2 million comrades who, alas, did not.
Quo vadis ask I
Upon this sabbath day;
To hell, you reply,
Won't you show me the way.
Walk with me a while
And my tale I will tell,
It's many a long mile
But a path I know well.
You're a soldier, I note,
From your bullet holes,
Though you don't have the vote
You have killed many souls;
So young, you may be,
I assent this is true -
I'm a general, you see,
I've killed more than you.
I'll kill men I know
Ere this grim day ends;
I'll vanquish the foe
Sacrificing my friends.
I'll demand who goes there,
As I shy from a bomb,
I'll make war from my chair
This black day on the Somme.
I'll send you to fight
(As bold as I am)
I'll send you, all right,
I'll not give a damn.
I'll command you to shoot
As you storm through the mud...
I won't give a hoot,
I just won't see the blood.
I'll dispatch you to kill,
You'll go over the top;
I'll send you at will
Because I'll never stop.
I'll commit you to strive,
As you charge through the rain;
If you come back alive
Then I'll send you again.
Now your own end is nigh -
Your last moments on earth.
Your cross I'll supply
As that's all you are worth.
So, heed my words well
When I pledge you this oath...
I'll greet you in hell
For there's room for us both.
Scheme | ABBBX CDCDEFEF GBGBXABA HBHBIJIJ KLKLMNMN OPOPQXQX CRCRFSFS |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110110001 11101 110111 10101001011 10110111 1111 011101 11101 111101 11101 011111 110011 101111 101011 11101 111101 111101 11111 101111 1010011 11111 11111 11111 11001 10011 101111 111101 111111 111101 11111 11111 11111 11101 101111 111101 11101 111101 101111 111001 11111 011101 101111 111101 111101 111101 111111 111011 11101 111111 11111 111111 11101 111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,362 |
Words | 280 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 53 |
Letters per line (avg) | 19 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 147 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
About this poem
Dedicated to the author's paternal grandfather who was on the Somme in 1916. Writ in 2016 on the centenary of the terrible Somme conflict.
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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on July 19, 2021
Modified by AlanSJeeves on July 19, 2021
- 1:31 min read
- 9 Views
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"Quo Vadis Et Ego Rogabo" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/105274/quo-vadis-et-ego-rogabo>.
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