Analysis of Norman and Saxon
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
My son," said the Norman Baron, "I am dying, and you will be heir
To all the broad acres in England that William gave me for my share
When we conquered the Saxon at Hastings, and a nice little handful it is.
But before you go over to rule it I want you to understand this:—
"The Saxon is not like us Normans, His manners are not so polite.
But he never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow with his sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, "This isn't fair dealings," my son, leave the Saxon alone.
"You can horsewhip your Gascony archers, or torture your Picardy spears,
But don't try that game on the Saxon; you'll have the whole brood round your ears.
From the richest old Thane in the county to the poorest chained serf in the field,
They'll be at you and on you like hornets, and, if you are wise, you will yield.
"But first you must master their language, their dialect, proverbs and songs.
Don't trust any clerk to interpret when they come with the tale of their wrongs.
Let them know that you know what they're saying; let them feel that you know what to say.
Yes, even when you want to go hunting, hear 'em out if it takes you all day.
"They'll drink every hour of the daylight and poach every hour of the dark,
It's the sport not the rabbits they 're after (we 've plenty of game in the park).
Don't hang them or cut off their fingers. That's wasteful as well as unkind,
For a hard-bitten, South-country poacher makes the best man-at-arms you can find.
"Appear with your wife and the children at their weddings and funerals and feasts.
Be polite but not friendly to Bishops; be good to all poor parish priests.
Say 'we,' 'us' and 'ours' when you're talking instead of 'you fellows' and 'I.'
Don't ride over seeds; keep your temper; and never you tell 'em a lie!"
Scheme | AAXX BBCC DDEE FFGG HHII JJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (83%) |
Metre | 11101010111001111 11011001011011111 111001011000110111 10111101111111011 0101111111011101 1110110100111011001 1111110010111011111 01011011011101001 111111110111 11111101011011111 1010110010101011001 111101111001111111 1111101101101001 111011010111101111 1111111110111111111 1101111110111111111 11100101010110010101 10110101110111011001 11111111011011101 1011011010101111111 0111100101110010001 101111011011111101 111010111001111001 11101111001011101 |
Characters | 1,831 |
Words | 354 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 59 |
Words per line (avg) | 14 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 234 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 58 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:48 min read
- 940 Views
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"Norman and Saxon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33295/norman-and-saxon>.
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