Analysis of Matter For Gratitude
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
Be pleased, O Lord, to take a people's thanks
That Thine avenging sword has spared our ranks-
That Thou hast parted from our lips the cup
And forced our neighbors' lips to drink it up.
Father of Mercies, with a heart contrite
We thank Thee that Thou goest south to smite,
And sparest San Francisco's loins, to crack
Thy lash on Hermosillo's bleeding back-
That o'er our homes Thine awful angel spread
His wings in vain, and Guaymas weeps instead.
We praise Thee, God, that Yellow Fever here
His horrid banner has not dared to rear,
Consumption's jurisdiction to contest,
Her dagger deep in every second breast!
Catarrh and Asthma and Congestive Chill
Attest Thy bounty and perform Thy will.
These native messengers obey Thy call-
They summon singly, but they summon all.
Not, as in Mexico's impested clime,
Can Yellow Jack commit recurring crime.
We thank Thee that Thou killest all the time.
Thy tender mercies, Father, never end:
Upon all heads Thy blessings still descend,
Though their forms vary. Here the sown seeds yield
Abundant grain that whitens all the field-
There the smit corn stands barren on the plain,
Thrift reaps the straw and Famine gleans in vain.
Here the fat priest to the contented king
Points out the contrast and the people sing-
There mothers eat their offspring. Well, at least
Thou hast provided offspring for the feast.
An earthquake here rolls harmless through the land,
And Thou art good because the chimneys stand-
There templed cities sink into the sea,
And damp survivors, howling as they flee,
Skip to the hills and hold a celebration
In honor of Thy wise discrimination.
O God, forgive them all, from Stoneman down,
Thy smile who construe and expound Thy frown,
And fall with saintly grace upon their knees
To render thanks when Thou dost only sneeze.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEE XXFFGGHHIII JJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQ RRSS |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110101 11010111101 11110110101 01101011111 1011010101 111111111 011010111 1111101 110101110101 110101101 1111110101 1101011111 1010110 01010100101 101000101 0111000111 1101000111 1101011101 1101011 1101010101 111111101 1101010101 0111110101 1111010111 010111101 1011110101 1101010101 1011100101 1101000101 110111111 110101101 111110101 0111010101 111010101 0101010111 1101010010 0101110010 1101111101 1110100111 0111010111 1101111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,755 |
Words | 310 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 11, 16, 4 |
Lines Amount | 41 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 357 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 77 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 22, 2023
- 1:34 min read
- 112 Views
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"Matter For Gratitude" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1834/matter-for-gratitude>.
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