Analysis of The three tailors
Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)
I shall tell you in rhyme how, once on a time,
Three tailors tramped up to the inn Ingleheim,
On the Rhine, lovely Rhine;
They were broke, but the worst of it all, they were curst
With that malady common to tailors--a thirst
For wine, lots of wine.
"Sweet host," quoth the three, "we're hard up as can be,
Yet skilled in the practice of cunning are we,
On the Rhine, genial Rhine;
And we pledge you we will impart you that skill
Right quickly and fully, providing you'll fill
Us with wine, cooling wine."
But that host shook his head, and he warily said:
"Though cunning be good, we take money instead,
On the Rhine, thrifty Rhine;
If ye fancy ye may without pelf have your way
You'll find that there's both host and the devil to pay
For your wine, costly wine."
Then the first knavish wight took his needle so bright
And threaded its eye with a wee ray of light
From the Rhine, sunny Rhine;
And, in such a deft way, patched a mirror that day
That where it was mended no expert could say--
Done so fine 't was for wine.
The second thereat spied a poor little gnat
Go toiling along on his nose broad and flat
Towards the Rhine, pleasant Rhine;
"Aha, tiny friend, I should hate to offend,
But your stockings need darning"--which same did he mend,
All for wine, soothing wine.
And next there occurred what you'll deem quite absurd--
His needle a space in the wall thrust the third,
By the Rhine, wondrous Rhine;
And then all so spry, he leapt through the eye
Of that thin cambric needle--nay, think you I'd lie
About wine--not for wine.
The landlord allowed (with a smile) he was proud
To do the fair thing by that talented crowd
On the Rhine, generous Rhine.
So a thimble filled he as full as could be--
"Drink long and drink hearty, my jolly friends three,
Of my wine, filling wine."
Scheme | AABCCB DDBEEB CCBFFB CCBCFB CCBCCB CCBGGB CCBDDB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111101 110111011 101101 101101111101 111001011001 11111 11101111111 11001011011 101101 01111101111 11001001011 111101 111111011001 11011111001 101101 111011011111 111111001011 111101 10111111011 01011101111 101101 001011101011 11111011011 1111111 0101101101 11001111101 0101101 1101111101 11101111111 111101 01101111101 11001001101 101101 0111111101 11111011111 011111 0101101111 11011111001 1011001 10101111111 11011011011 111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,805 |
Words | 340 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 195 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 48 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 27, 2023
- 1:43 min read
- 244 Views
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