Analysis of The Widow At Windsor

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



'Ave you 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor
 With a hairy gold crown on 'er 'ead?
She 'as ships on the foam -- she 'as millions at 'ome,
 An' she pays us poor beggars in red.
    (Ow, poor beggars in red!)
There's 'er nick on the cavalry 'orses,
 There's 'er mark on the medical stores --
An' 'er troopers you'll find with a fair wind be'ind
 That takes us to various wars.
    (Poor beggars! -- barbarious wars!)
       Then 'ere's to the Widow at Windsor,
        An' 'ere's to the stores an' the guns,
       The men an' the 'orses what makes up the forces
        O' Missis Victorier's sons.
       (Poor beggars! Victorier's sons!)

Walk wide o' the Widow at Windsor,
 For 'alf o' Creation she owns:
We 'ave bought 'er the same with the sword an' the flame,
 An' we've salted it down with our bones.
    (Poor beggars! -- it's blue with our bones!)
Hands off o' the sons o' the Widow,
 Hands off o' the goods in 'er shop,
For the Kings must come down an' the Emperors frown
 When the Widow at Windsor says "Stop"!
    (Poor beggars! -- we're sent to say "Stop"!)
       Then 'ere's to the Lodge o' the Widow,
        From the Pole to the Tropics it runs --
       To the Lodge that we tile with the rank an' the file,
        An' open in form with the guns.
       (Poor beggars! -- it's always they guns!)

We 'ave 'eard o' the Widow at Windsor,
 It's safest to let 'er alone:
For 'er sentries we stand by the sea an' the land
 Wherever the bugles are blown.
    (Poor beggars! -- an' don't we get blown!)
Take 'old o' the Wings o' the Mornin',
 An' flop round the earth till you're dead;
But you won't get away from the tune that they play
 To the bloomin' old rag over'ead.
    (Poor beggars! -- it's 'ot over'ead!)
       Then 'ere's to the sons o' the Widow,
        Wherever, 'owever they roam.
       'Ere's all they desire, an' if they require
        A speedy return to their 'ome.
       (Poor beggars! -- they'll never see 'ome!)


Scheme ABCBBDDBDDADDDD ADCDDBEFEEBDXDD AGBGGFBXBBBCACC
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010110 101011101 111101111011 111111001 111001 101101001 101101001 11101110111 11111001 11011 111010110 11101101 01101111010 1111 11011 111010110 11101011 111001101101 1110111101 110111101 111011010 11101001 101111101001 101011011 11011111 111011010 101101011 101111101101 11001101 1101111 1111010110 11011001 101011101101 01001011 11011111 11101101 11101111 111101101111 101111 110111 111011010 010111 11101011110 01001111 11011011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,904
Words 356
Sentences 29
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 15, 15, 15
Lines Amount 45
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 426
Words per stanza (avg) 115
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

1:53 min read
290

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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