Analysis of The Gnu
Hilaire Belloc 1870 (La Celle-Saint-Cloud) – 1953
G stands for Gnu, whose weapon of defence
Are long, sharp, curling horns, and common sense.
To these he adds a name so short and strong,
That even hardy Boers pronounce it wrong.
How often on a bright autumnal day
The pious people of Pretoria say,
'Come, let us hunt the______' Then no more is heard
but sounds of strong men struggling with a word;
Meanwhile the distant Gnu with grateful eyes
Oberserves his opportunity and flies.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1111110101 1111010101 1111011101 1101010111 1101010101 01010101001 1111111111 11111100101 101011101 11010001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 430 |
Words | 79 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 10 |
Lines Amount | 10 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 342 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 77 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 13, 2023
- 23 sec read
- 403 Views
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"The Gnu" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19235/the-gnu>.
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