Analysis of My Cross
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
I wrote a poem to the moon
But no one noticed it;
Although I hoped that late or soon
Someone would praise a bit
Its purity and grace forlone,
Its beauty tulip-cool...
But as my poem died still-born,
I felt a fool.
I wrote a verse of vulgar trend
Spiced with an oath or two;
I tacked a snapper at the end
And called it Dan McGrew.
I spouted it to bar-room boys,
Full fifty years away;
Yet still with rude and ribald noise
It lives today.
'Tis bitter truth, but there you are-
That's how a name is made;
Write of a rose, a lark, a star,
You'll never make the grade.
But write of gutter and of grime,
Of pimp and prostitute,
The multitude will read your rhyme,
And pay to boot.
So what's the use to burn and bleed
And strive for beauty's sake?
No one your poetry will read,
Your heart will only break.
But set your song in vulgar pitch,
If rhyme you will not rue,
And make your heroine a bitch...
Like Lady Lou.
Scheme | ABABACXC DEDEFGFG HIHIJKJK XLXLMEME |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010101 111101 1111111 11101 1100011 110101 11110111 1101 11011101 111111 11010101 011101 11011111 110101 11110101 1101 11011111 110111 11010101 110101 11110011 11010 0101111 0111 11011101 01111 11110011 111101 11110101 111111 01110001 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 885 |
Words | 182 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 172 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 129 Views
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"My Cross" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32273/my-cross>.
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