Analysis of Love and War
Arthur Patchett Martin 1851 (Woolwich, Kent) – 1902 (Tenerife)
THE CHANCELLOR mused as he nibbled his pen
(Sure no Minister ever looked wiser),
And said, “I can summon a million of men
To fight for their country and Kaiser;
“While that shallow charlatan ruling o’er France,
Who deems himself deeper than Merlin,
Thinks he and his soldiers have only to dance
To the tune of the Can-can to Berlin.
“But as soon as he gets to the bank of the Rhine,
He’ll be met by the great German army.”
Then the Chancellor laughed, and he said, “I will dine,
For I see nothing much to alarm me.”
Yet still as he went out he paused by the door
(For his mind was in truth heavy laden),
And he saw a stout fellow, equipped for the war,
Embracing a fair-haired young maiden.
“Ho! ho!” said the Chancellor, “this will not do,
For Mars to be toying with Venus,
When these Frenchmen are coming—a rascally crew!—
And the Rhine only flowing between us.”
So the wary old fox, just in order to hear,
Strode one or two huge paces nearer;
And he heard the youth say, “More than life art thou dear;
But, O loved one, the Fatherland’s dearer.”
Then the maid dried her tears and looked up in his eyes,
And she said, “Thou of loving art worthy:
When all are in danger no brave man e’er flies,
And thy love should spur on—not deter thee.”
The Chancellor took a cigar, which he lit,
And he muttered, “Here ’s naught to alarm me;
By Heaven! I swear they are both of them fit
To march with the great German army.”
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ XBXB KFKF LFLF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01001111011 1110010110 01111001011 111110010 11101001011 110110110 11011011011 1011011101 111111101101 1111011010 101001011111 1111011011 11111111101 1111011010 011011001101 010011110 11101001111 111110110 1110110011 0011010011 101011101011 111111010 011011111111 11110110 101101011011 0111110110 11101011111 0111111011 01001001111 01101111011 11011111111 111011010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,512 |
Words | 280 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 134 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 34 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:24 min read
- 89 Views
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"Love and War" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3915/love-and-war>.
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