Analysis of The M.A. Degree
Robert Fuller Murray 1863 – 1894
It was a phantom of delight
When first it gleamed upon my sight,
A scholarly distinction, sent
To be a student's ornament.
The hood was rich beyond compare,
The gown was a unique affair.
By this, by that my mind was drawn
Then, in my academic dawn;
A dancing shape, an image gay
Before me then was my M.A.
I saw it upon nearer view,
A glory, yet a bother too!
For I perceived that I should be
Involved in much Philosophy
(A branch in which I could but meet
Works that were neither light nor sweet);
In Mathematics, not too good
For human nature's daily food
And Classics, rendered in the styles
Of Kelly, Bohn, and Dr. Giles.
And now I own, with some small spleen,
A most confounded ass I've been;
The glory seems an empty breath,
And I am nearly bored to death
With Reason, Consciousness, and Will,
And other things beyond my skill,
Discussed in books all darkly planned
And more in number than the sand.
Yet that M.A. still haunts my sight,
With something of its former light.
Scheme | AABCDDEEFGHHIIJJKLMMNOPPQQRRAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11010101 11110111 01000101 11010100 01110101 01100101 11111111 1010101 01011101 0111111 11101101 01010101 11011111 01010100 01011111 11010111 0010111 11010101 01010001 1101011 01111111 01010111 01011101 01110111 11010001 01010111 01011101 01010101 1111111 11011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,004 |
Words | 190 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 757 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 183 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 27 Views
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"The M.A. Degree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31055/the-m.a.-degree>.
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