Analysis of To W. Hohenzollern, on Discontinuing The Conning Tower
Franklin P. Adams 1881 (Chicago, Illinois) – 1960 (New York City, New York)
William, it was, I think, three years ago--
As I recall, one cool October morning--
(You have The Tribune files; I think they'll show
I gave you warning).
I said, in well-selected words and terse,
In phrases balanced, yet replete with power,
That I should cease to pen the prose and verse
Known as The Tower
That I should stop this Labyrinth of Light--
Though stopping make the planet leaden-hearted--
Unless you stop the well-known Schrecklichkeit
Your nation started.
I printed it in type that you could read;
My paragraphs were thewed, my rhymes were sinewed.
You paid, I judge from what ensued, no heed . . .
The war continued.
And though my lines with fortitude were fraught,
Although my words were strong, and stripped of stuffing,
You, William, thought--oh, yes, you did--you thought
That I was bluffing.
You thought that I would fail to see it through!
You thought that, at the crux of things, I'd cower!
How little, how imperfectly you knew
The Conning Tower!
You'll miss the column at the break of day.
I have no fear that I shall be forgotten.
You'll miss the daily privilege to say:
"That stuff is rotten!"
Or else--as sometimes has occured--when I
Have chanced upon a lucky line to blunder,
You'll miss the precious privilege to cry:
"That bird's a wonder!"
Well, William, when your people cease to strafe,
When you have put an end to all this war stuff,
When all the world is reasonably safe,
I'll write some more stuff.
And when you miss the quip and wanton wile,
And learn you can't endure the Towerless season,
O William, I shall not be petty . . . I'll
Listen to reason.
Scheme | ABAB CDCDEFEF XEXX GBGB HDHD IJIJ KDKD LMLM NJNJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (25%) |
Metre | 1011111101 1111101010 1101011111 11110 1101010101 01010101110 1111110101 11010 111111011 11010101010 01110111 11010 1101011111 110011101 1111110111 01010 011111001 1110101110 1101111111 11110 1111111111 11110111110 1101010011 01010 1101010111 11111111010 110101011 11110 111011111 11010101110 110101011 11010 1101110111 11111111111 1101110001 11111 0111010101 0111010110 1101111101 10110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,588 |
Words | 282 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 8, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 135 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 32 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:26 min read
- 59 Views
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"To W. Hohenzollern, on Discontinuing The Conning Tower" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14185/to-w.-hohenzollern%2C-on-discontinuing-the-conning-tower>.
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