Analysis of Lali
John Le Gay Brereton 1871 (Sydney) – 1933
While the summer day is hot
You and I will loaf awhile,
Lolling in a leafy spot,
Lali of the cunning smile.
You and I have little care
How the “precious moments” pass
While we snuff the drowsy air
Rich in fragrance of the grass.
Stupid people boom or squeal
Lessons drawn from daily strife;
“Time,” they cry, “is on the wheel;
Death puts out the gas of life.
Imitate the prudent ant,
Labour like the busy bee.”
O the everlasting cant!
Loafing's good for you and me.
Here we watch the ants that haul
Loads by weary jungle ways!
If they like it, let them crawl
Laden through the heavy blaze.
We've no time for moral tags;
We can hear a sleepy sound
With his yellow tucker-bags
Brother Bee is bumming round.
Little souls are vexed to see
How their hours of toil decrease:
Floating dreams for you and me,
Lazy joy in starry peace.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL HMHM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1010111 1011101 1000101 110101 1011101 1010101 1110101 1010101 1010111 1011101 1111101 1110111 100101 110101 100101 111101 1110111 1110101 1111111 1010101 1111101 1110101 1110101 101111 1011111 11101101 1011101 1010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 819 |
Words | 160 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 92 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 73 Views
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"Lali" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23677/lali>.
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