Analysis of The Crab That Played with the Sea

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



China-going P. & O.'s
Pass Pau Amma's playground close,
And his Pusat Tasek lies
Near the track of most B.I.'s.
N.Y.K. and N.D.L.
Know Pau Amma's home as well
As the Fisher of the Sea knows
"Bens," M.M.'s and Rubattinos.
But (and this is rather queer)
A.T.L.'s can qiot come here;
O. and O. and D.O.A.
Must go round another way.
Orient, Anchor, Bibby, Hall,
Never go that way at all.
U.C.S. would have a fit
If it found itself on it.
And if "Beavers" took their cargoes
To Penang instead of Lagos,
Or a fat Shaw-Savill bore
Passengers to Singapore,
Or a White Star were to try a
Little trip to Sourabaya,
Or a B.S.A. went on
Past Natal to Cheribon,
The the great Mr. Lloyds would come
Whith a wire and drag them home!

You will know what my riddle means
When you've eaten mangosteens.


Scheme AXXABBAAXXCXBBCCAXDDXXEEXX FF
Poetic Form
Metre 101011 11111 01111 101111 101 111111 10101011 1101 1011101 11111 10101 1110101 1010101 1011111 11101 1110111 0110111 11001110 1011011 100110 10110110 10111 10111 11011 00110111 10100111 11111101 111010
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 774
Words 168
Sentences 40
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 26, 2
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 288
Words per stanza (avg) 74
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
113

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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