Analysis of The Press
The Soldier may forget his Sword,
The Sailorman the Sea,
The Mason may forget the Word
And the Priest his Litany:
The Maid may forget both jewel and gem,
And the Bride her wedding-dress--
But the Jew shall forget Jerusalem
Ere we forget the Press!
Who once hath stood through the loaded hour
Ere, roaring like the gale,
The Harrild and the Hoe devour
Their league-long paper-bale,
And has lit his pipe in the morning calm
That follows the midnight stress--
He hath sold his heart to the old Black Art
We call the daily Press.
Who once hath dealt in the widest game
That all of a man can play,
No later love, no larger fame
Will lure him long away.
As the war-horse snuffeth the battle afar,
The entered Soul, no less,
He saith: "Ha! Ha!" where the trumpets are
And the thunders of the Press!
Canst thou number the days that we fulfill,
Or the Times that we bring forth?
Canst thou send the lightnings to do thy will,
And cause them reign on earth?
Hast thou given a peacock goodly wings,
To please his foolishness?
Sit down at the heart of men and things,
Companion of the Press!
The Pope may launch his Interdict,
The Union its decree,
But the bubble is blown and the bubble is pricked
By Us and such as We.
Remember the battle and stand aside
While Thrones and Powers confess
That King over all the children of pride
Is the Press--the Press--the Press!
Scheme | XAXAXBXB CDCDXBXB EFEFGBGB HXHXIXIB JAJAKBKB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (25%) |
Metre | 01010111 0101 01010101 0011100 0110111001 0010101 1011010100 110101 1111101010 110101 01001010 111101 0111100101 110011 1111110111 110101 111100101 1110111 11011101 111101 1011101001 010111 111110101 0010101 1110011101 1011111 1110101111 011111 111001101 111100 111011101 010101 0111110 010101 101011001011 110111 0100100101 1101001 1110101011 1010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,323 |
Words | 255 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 212 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 06, 2023
- 1:16 min read
- 88 Views
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"The Press" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33530/the-press>.
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