Analysis of Part Second
James Brunton Stephens 1835 (Scotland) – 1902
1
Fast flew the hours. We may not tell
Of William's weary quest,
How round the outskirts of the town
He roamed like one possessed—
Nor with what guileful arts he plied
The foreign interest.
2
Enough that at the appointed hour,
With backers at his back,
He faced the noble Bossaroo,
(Still hypochondriac)—
And introduced his witnesses,
A yellow and a black;
3
A placid-eyed Mongolian
From sandy Pechelee,
Who'd stimulate an inch of soil
To do the work of three,
Or make a metamorphic rock
Sprout into cabbagee;
4
A big buck nigger next; who once
Bowed down to stocks and stones
(For years digested captives formed
The tissue of his bones),
But now he is an Anglican,
Who a live “Bissop” owns,
Besides a gorgeous suit of slops,
And the proud name of Jones.
5
Slow rose the lordly Bossaroo,
And bade unveil their eyes;
And, when those aliens gazed around
On all that dread assize,
They howled in unison and made
Night hideous with their cries.
6
For Bill had lured them lyingly—
But why should we explain;
The whole thing was exceptional,
And can't occur again.
Besides, to poke at mysteries
Is wanton and profane.
7
With single will they turned on Bill,
And blazed his evil name;
With double tongue their charge they flung,
And swore unto the same;
With treble spite did both unite
To spoil his little game.
8
“Me see him catchee kangaloo,”
Deponed on oath Ah Chee;
“Me see him—hi! hst!—soolem dog,
No mind my cabbagee—
Me lose hap clown, him knockee down
Ten twenty lettucee!”
9
“Massoopy Bill, him wicked boy,”
Deponed the South Sea swell;
“Two moon, come Bissop preach in church,
Him loaf outside an' yell;
Me run—him run—me catch—him say
‘Tree scalp if you no tell.’
10
So, when the learnèd clerk had both
Their depositions read,
The judge drew forth his judgment cap,
And put it on his head,
And sentenced poor Marsupial Bill
To hang till he was dead.
11
“But since”—so spake the Bossaroo—
“From evidence we know
That many a scalped and gory head
This night through him lies low,
We'll scalp him first!”—and all the house,
Nem. con., cried “Be it so?”
And as a sign and seal of doom,
Turned down the right thumb-toe.
12
“With his own knife,” the Boss resumed,
“Ah Chee shall do the deed—
The gods poetic justice love—
And make the assassin bleed
By his own proper instrument.
Mongolian, proceed.”
13
What followed next, who gave the word
For mate to link with mate,
Nor Bill, nor Jones, nor yet Ah Chee
Can very clearly state;
But that 'twas a corroboree
All three corroborate.
14
In vain poor William prayed—in vain
His suppliant knees he bowed,
And by a pile of sacred names
For mercy cried aloud—
The point was at his occiput,
When, lo! from out the crowd
15
Stepped forth a rare and radiant dame,
The Boss's pride and stay,
(The dam of Bossárovitch,
Still young, though somewhat gray,
An elegant marsupial,
Well-mannered, bien née)—
Stepped forth before them, and remarked
Seductively, “Belay!”
Then, kneeling by the judgment seat,
Thus sweetly said her say:—
“Most Noble Grand, have you forgot
That this is Christmas Day?
16
“Beseech you, bid that heathen hand
Withhold the bloody knife!
Recall your fearful words of doom—
Nay, turn not from your wife,
But give me as a Christmas Box
The little captive's life.”
17
Then quickly from his granite throne
Down leaped the Noble Grand,
And, kneeling, kissed right courteously
His royal lady's hand;
Then, as he raised her up, pronounced
The joyful countermand;
Whereat the rest turned up their toes,
That Bill might understand
The Congress willed his days should yet
Be long upon the land.
18
Then raged the revelry anew,
With sound of drum and fife;
The Boss himself forgot his woes,
And danced as if for life;
While the old clerk forgot himself,
And kissed the Boss's wife.
19
And when there fell a weariness
On all the panting throng,
And Bossaroo and ancient clerk
Alike had nigh “gone bong”—
Amid a jaded pause was heard
A call for “Joey's Song!”
20
And presently a little head,
As from a little nest,
Peeped o'er a snug maternal pouch,
And sang its little best,
(The song is very rare, and full
Of antique interest):—
“What does
Scheme | ABCDCXE AFGFGHG AIBXJXK AXLXLILHL AFMX HXM ABNOXXN APQXQXQ ABJXKDH AXBRBSB AXTXT PT AFUTUXUVU AXWXWXW AXYJYFY ANZXZCZ AQSR SOJXBXSXS A1 2 V2 X2 AX1 B1 XC3 1 X1 AX2 3 2 X2 AX4 X XX4 ATCXCXEH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 110101111 110101 1101101 111101 1111111 01010 1 0111001010 110111 110101 10100 0011100 010001 1 01010100 1101 1101111 110111 1100101 1011 1 01110111 111101 1110101 01111 11111100 10111 01010111 001111 1 11011 010111 011100101 11111 11010001 1100111 1 111111 111101 01110100 010101 01111100 110001 1 11011111 011101 11011111 011001 1101111 111101 1 11111 11111 1111111 1111 1111111 1101 1 111101 10111 1111101 111111 11111111 111111 1 11011111 10101 01111101 011111 010101001 111111 1 111101 110011 110010101 111111 11110101 111111 01010111 110111 1 11110101 111101 01010101 0100101 11110100 010001 1 11011101 111111 11111111 110101 11101 11010 1 01110101 11111 01011101 110101 011111 111101 1 110101001 010101 01111 111111 11000100 110111 11011001 01001 11010101 110101 11011101 111101 1 01111101 010101 1110111 111111 11110101 01011 1 11011101 110101 010111 110101 11110101 0101 1011111 11101 01011111 110101 1 11010001 111101 01010111 011111 10110101 010101 1 01110100 110101 010101 011111 01010111 011101 1 01000101 110101 110010101 011101 01110101 10110 11 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 4,045 |
Words | 746 |
Sentences | 29 |
Stanzas | 24 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 9, 4, 3, 7, 7, 7, 7, 5, 2, 9, 7, 7, 7, 4, 9, 7, 11, 7, 4, 3, 8 |
Lines Amount | 155 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 132 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 3:47 min read
- 35 Views
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"Part Second" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20019/part-second>.
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