Analysis of Mr. Philosopher
Robert Graves 1895 (Wimbledon) – 1985 (Deià)
Old Mr. Philosopher
Comes for Ben and Claire,
An ugly man, a tall man,
With bright-red hair.
The books that he’s written
No one can read.
“In fifty years they’ll understand:
Now there’s no need.
“All that matters now
Is getting the fun.
Come along, Ben and Claire;
Plenty to be done.”
Then old Philosopher,
Wisest man alive,
Plays at Lions and Tigers
Down along the drive—
Gambolling fiercely
Through bushes and grass,
Making monstrous mouths,
Braying like an ass
Twisting buttercups
In his orange hair,
Hopping like a kangaroo,
Growling like a bear.
Right up to tea-time
They frolic there.
“My legs are wingle,”
Says Ben to Claire.
Scheme | ABXB CXXX XCBC ADXD EFXF XBXB XBEB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (86%) |
Metre | 1100100 11101 1101011 1111 011110 1111 0101101 1111 11101 11001 101101 10111 110100 10101 1110010 10101 110 11001 10101 1111 1010 01101 101001 10101 11111 1101 1111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 653 |
Words | 113 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 70 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 16 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 30 Views
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"Mr. Philosopher" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31150/mr.-philosopher>.
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