Analysis of Corporal Schnapps

Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)



Mine heart ish proken into little pits,
I tells you, friend, what for;
Mine schweetheart, von coot patriotic kirl,
She trives me off mit der war.
I fights for her der pattles of te flag --
I schtrikes so prave as I can;
Put now long time she nix remempers me,
And coes mit another man.

Ah! mine fraulein! You ish so ferry unkind!
You coes mit Hans to Zhermany to live,
And leaves poor Schnapps pehind,
Leaves poor Schnapps pehind.

I march all tay, no matter if der schtorm
Pe worse ash Moses' flood;
I lays all night, mine head upon a schtump,
And "sinks to sleep" in der mud.
Der nightmare comes -- I catch him ferry pad --
I treams I schleeps mit der Ghost;
I wakes next morning frusen in der cround,
So schtiff as von schtone post.

They kives me hart-pread, tougher as a rock --
It almost preaks mine shaw;
I schplite him sometimes mit an iron wedge,
And cuts him up mit a saw.
They kives me peef, as ferry, ferry salt,
Like Sodom's wife, you know;
I surely dinks they put him in der prine
Von hundred years aco.

Py'n py we take von city in der South --
We schtays there von whole year;
I kite me sourcrout much as I can eat,
And plenty loqcar pier.
I meets von lady repel in der street,
So handsome offer I see;
I makes to her von ferry callant pow --
Put ah! she schpits on me.

"Hard times!" you say, "what for you volunteer!"
I todt you friend, what for;
Mine schweetheart, von coot patriotic kirl,
She trove me off mit der war.
Alas! alas! mine pretty little von
Will schmile no more on me;
Put schtill I fights der pattle of te flag
To set mine countries free.


Scheme xaBacded fxff eghgxifi xjxjxxxc xklklehe kaBaxece
Poetic Form
Metre 111101101 111111 11110101 111111111 111011111 1111111 11111111 011110101 1111111001 1111111111 01111 1111 1111110111 111101 1111110101 0111011 111111101 111111111 1111010011 111111 1111110101 11111 111011111101 011111101 1111110101 11111 1101111011 11011 1111110011 111111 111111111 01011 1111001011 1101011 111011011 111111 111111101 111111 11110101 111111111 0101110101 111111 111111111 111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,533
Words 311
Sentences 20
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 8, 4, 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 44
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 198
Words per stanza (avg) 51
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:33 min read
77

Henry Clay Work

Henry Clay Work was an American composer and songwriter. more…

All Henry Clay Work poems | Henry Clay Work Books

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