Analysis of The First Lord's Song
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
When I was a lad I served a term
As office boy to an Attorney's firm;
I cleaned the windows and I swept the floor,
And I polished up the handle of the big front door.
I polished up that handle so successfullee,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
As office boy I made such a mark
That they gave me the post of a junior clerk;
I served the writs with a smile so bland,
And I copied all the letters in a big round hand.
I copied all the letters in a hand so free,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
In serving writs I made such a name
That an articled clerk I soon became;
I wore clean collars and a brand-new suit
For the Pass Examination at the Institute:
And that Pass Examination did so well for me,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
Of legal knowledge I acquired such a grip
That they took me into the partnership,
And that junior partnership I ween,
Was the only ship that I ever had seen:
But that kind of ship so suited me,
That now I am the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
I grew so rich that I was sent
By a pocket borough into Parliament;
I always voted at my Party's call,
And I never thought of thinking for myself at all.
I thought so little, they rewarded me,
By making me the Ruler of the Queen's Navee!
Now, landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree -
If your soul isn't fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule -
Stick close to your desks and NEVER GO TO SEA,
And you all may be Rulers of the Queen's Navee!
Scheme | aabbcD xxeefD gghhfD iijjfD xxccfd ffccfd |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111011101 1101110101 1101001101 0110101010111 110111011 11110101011 110111101 11110110101 110110111 0110101000111 110101000111 11110101011 010111101 11111101 1111000111 10100101010 011001011111 11110101011 110101010101 111101010 01101011 10101111011 111111101 11110101011 11111111 1010101100 111011101 011011101111 1111010101 11010101011 111010111 11111101101 111101011101 110111011101 11111010111 01111101011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,492 |
Words | 315 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 194 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 52 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:37 min read
- 58 Views
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"The First Lord's Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41293/the-first-lord%27s-song>.
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