Analysis of Soliloquy
Francis Ledwidge 1887 (Slane) – 1917 (Boezinge)
When I was young I had a care
Lest I should cheat me of my share
Of that which makes it sweet to strive
For life, and dying still survive,
A name in sunshine written higher
Than lark or poet dare aspire.
But I grew weary doing well.
Besides, 'twas sweeter in that hell,
Down with the loud banditti people
Who robbed the orchards, climbed the steeple
For jackdaws' eyes and made the cock
Crow ere 'twas daylight on the clock.
I was so very bad the neighbours
Spoke of me at their daily labours.
And now I'm drinking wine in France,
The helpless child of circumstance.
To-morrow will be loud with war,
How will I be accounted for?
It is too late now to retrieve
A fallen dream, too late to grieve
A name unmade, but not too late
To thank the gods for what is great;
A keen-edged sword, a soldier's heart,
Is greater than a poet's art.
And greater than a poet's fame
A little grave that has no name.
Scheme | AABBXX CCDDEEFF FFGG HHIIJJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101 11111111 11111111 11010101 01011010 11110101 11110101 01110011 1101110 110101010 1110101 1111101 11110101 11111101 01110101 0101110 11011111 11110101 11111101 01011111 01011111 11011111 01110101 11010101 01010101 01011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 880 |
Words | 175 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 8, 4, 8 |
Lines Amount | 26 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 174 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 53 sec read
- 131 Views
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"Soliloquy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13827/soliloquy>.
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