Analysis of Song of the Cub
James Clerk Maxwell 1831 (Edinburgh, Scotland) – 1879 (Cambridge, England)
I know not what this may betoken,
That I feel so wondrous wise;
My dream of existence is broken
Since science has opened my eyes.
At the British Association
I heard the President’s speech,
And the methods and facts of creation
Seemed suddenly placed in my reach.
My life’s undivided devotion
To Science I solemnly vowed,
I’d dredge up the bed of the ocean,
I’d draw down the spark from the cloud.
To follow my thoughts as they go on,
Electrodes I’d place in my brain;
Nay, I'd swallow a live entozöon,
New feelings of life to obtain.
O where are those high feasts of Science?
O where are those words of the wise?
I hear but the roar of Red Lions,
I eat what their Jackal supplies.
I meant to lie so scientific,
But science seems turned into fun;
And this, with his roaring terrific,
That old red lion bath done.
Scheme | ABABACAC ADADAAAA XBXBEAEA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111 1111101 111010110 11011011 10100010 110101 0010011010 11001011 11010010 11011001 111011010 11101101 110111111 01011011 11100111 11011101 111111110 11111101 111011110 11111001 11111010 11011011 011110010 1111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 807 |
Words | 154 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 210 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 51 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 46 sec read
- 60 Views
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