Analysis of The Pavement Stones :A Song of the Unemployed
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
WHEN first I came to town, resolved
To fight my way alone,
No prouder foot than mine e’er trod
Upon the pavement stone;
But I am one in thousands,
And why should I repine?
The pavement stones have broken springs
In stronger feet than mine.
I brought to aid me all the hope
And energy of youth;
And in my heart I felt the strength
Of plain bucolic truth:
The independence nourished
Amid the hills and trees—
But, ah! the city hath a cure
For qualities like these.
I wonder oft how e’er I made
The efforts that I made,
For after three long weary years
I taught myself a trade.
And two more years and I was free
With strength and hope elate,
For “he that hath a trade,” they say,
“Hath also an estate.”
I tramped the streets and looked for work
And begged for work in vain,
Until I recked not, though I ne’er
Might touch my tools again.
I tramped the streets despairing;
My cheeks grew white and thin;
I felt the pavement wearing through
The leather, sock, and skin.
The bitter war goes on between
The idlers and the drones,
Until the hearts of men grow cold
And hard as pavement stones;
But I am one amid the crowd,
Then why should I repine?
The pavement stones have broken springs
In stronger feet than mine.
Scheme | xaxaxaBC xdxdxexe ffxfxgxg xxxxxhxh xixixaBC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 11111101 111101 11011111 010101 1111010 01111 01011101 010111 11111101 010011 00111101 110101 001010 010101 11010101 110011 11011111 010111 11011101 11101 01110111 110101 11110111 110101 11010111 011101 01111111 111101 1101010 111101 11010101 010101 01011101 01001 01011111 011101 11110101 11111 01011101 010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,192 |
Words | 234 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 188 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:10 min read
- 39 Views
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