Analysis of Nursery Rhyme
Frank Wilmot 1881 (Collingwood) – 1942
One year, two year, three year, four,
Comes a khaki gentleman knocking at the door.
'Any little boys at home, send them out to me
To train them and brain them in battles yet to be.'
When a little boy is born feed him, train him so.
Put him in a cattle pen and wait for him to grow.
When he's nice and plump and dear, and sensible and sweet,
Throw him in the trenches for the great grey rats to eat.
Toss him in the cannon's mouth, cannons fancy best
Tender little boys' flesh that's easy to digest.
Mother rears her family on two pounds ten a week.
Teaches them to wash themselves, teaches them to speak.
Rears them with a heart's love, rears them to be men.
Grinds her fingers to the bone, and then... what then?
But parents who must rear the boys the cannons love to slay,
Also pay for cannons that blow other boys away.
Parsons tell them that their sons have just been blown to bits.
Patriotic parents must all laugh like fits.
Rear the boys for honest men and send them out to die!
Where's the coward father who would dare raise a cry?
Any gentleman's aware folk rear their children for
Blunderers and plunderers to mangle in a war!
Five year, six year, seven year, eight.
'Hurry up you little chaps, the captain's at the gate!'
Scheme | AABB CCDDEE FFGG HHII JJAA KK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111 101010010101 101011111111 111011010111 101011111111 1100101011111 1110101010001 1100101011111 110010110101 101011110101 1010100111101 101110110111 11101111111 10101010111 11011101010111 1011101110101 1011111111111 0101011111 1011101011111 101010111101 101001111101 101110001 11111011 1011101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,217 |
Words | 238 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 6, 4, 4, 4, 2 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 40 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 158 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 07, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 51 Views
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"Nursery Rhyme" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14084/nursery-rhyme>.
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