Analysis of A Soldier Lad

Alan S Jeeves 1951 (Lancashire)



He, lying cold, this lonely night
Far from his home - some distant land,
The soldier lad who came to fight.

And marching tall, a-left, a-right,
A Queen's cadet at her command,
He, lying cold, this lonely night.

He feared the day, as well he might,
As his detachment made their stand,
The soldier lad who came to fight.

Then as the sky was rendered bright
With shells a-plenty bursting fanned,
He, lying cold, this lonely night.

His battle raging at its height,
There, midst the turmoil, trumped the band,
The soldier lad who came to fight.

So far away the morning's light
And late to come to reprimand.
He, lying cold, this lonely night
The soldier lad who came to fight.


Scheme AbA abA abA abA abA abAA
Poetic Form Villanelle 
Metre 11011101 11111101 01011111 01010101 01011001 11011101 11011111 11010111 01011111 11011101 11010101 11011101 11010111 1101101 01011111 11010101 0111110 11011101 01011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 653
Words 122
Sentences 7
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 86
Words per stanza (avg) 20

About this poem

A Victorian style (8 syllable) villanelle. This 2012 write differs from most villanelles in that its theme is not pastoral. However, it uses the villanelle form.

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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on July 20, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
5

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

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