Analysis of To the Superior Animal
Anna Laetitia Waring 1823 (Neath) – 1910
To sum up all, I'm old -- and that's
A fact the years decide;
It is a common thing with cats
And not a thing to hide.
But to feel what it is -- how kind
How true to love and law
For this you must be quite resigned
And not avoid its paw.
It does not come as reckless foe
A shrinking prey to take,
But with soft footstep that we know
By comfort in its wake.
Though it spoils something -- that is true,
Which we must learn to lack
And takes alike from me and you
What never does come back.
It caters for our failing strength
In many a dainty scrap,
And gently lays us at our length
In some secluded lap.
It may bless you -- (I think it should)
Beyond what I make out,
With things perhaps too great and good
For cats to talk about.
Since I find in it blessing free
From all it can destroy,
And so its progress is to me
A miracle of joy.
But my look out to occupy
And make the most of that.
You must be quite as old as I,
If not yourself a Cat!
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL MNMN OPOP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Traditional rhyme Quatrain |
Metre | 11111101 01011 11010111 010111 11111111 111101 11111101 010111 11111101 010111 1111111 110011 11110111 111111 01011101 110111 110110101 0100101 010111101 010101 11111111 011111 11011101 111101 11101101 111101 0111111 010011 1111110 010111 11111111 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 918 |
Words | 202 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 89 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:01 min read
- 130 Views
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"To the Superior Animal" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3066/to-the-superior-animal>.
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