Analysis of Alms
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev 1818 (Oryol, Oryol Governorate) – 1883 ( Bougival, Seine-et-Oise)
Near a large town, along the broad highroad walked an old sick man.
He tottered as he went; his old wasted legs, halting, dragging, stumbling, moved painfully and feebly, as though they did not belong to him; his clothes hung in rags about him; his uncovered head drooped on his breast.... He was utterly worn-out.
He sat down on a stone by the wayside, bent forward, leant his elbows on his knees, hid his face in his hands; and through the knotted fingers the tears dropped down on to the grey, dry dust.
Remembered how he too had been strong and rich, and how he had wasted his health, and had lavished his riches upon others, friends and enemies....
And here, he had not now a crust of bread; and all had forsaken him, friends even before foes.... Must he sink to begging alms? There was bitterness in his heart, and shame.
The tears still dropped and dropped, spotting the grey dust.
Suddenly he heard some one call him by his name; he lifted his weary head, and saw standing before him a stranger.
A face calm and grave, but not stern; eyes not beaming, but clear; a look penetrating, but not unkind.
'Thou hast given away all thy riches,' said a tranquil voice.... 'But thou dost not regret having done good, surely?'
'I regret it not,' answered the old man with a sigh; 'but here I am dying now.'
'And had there been no beggars who held out their hands to thee,' the stranger went on, 'thou wouldst have had none on whom to prove thy goodness; thou couldst not have done thy good works.'
The old man answered nothing, and pondered.
'So be thou also now not proud, poor man,' the stranger began again. 'Go thou, hold out thy hand; do thou too give to other good men a chance to prove in deeds that they are good.'
The old man started, raised his eyes ... but already the stranger had vanished, and in the distance a man came into sight walking along the road.
The old man went up to him, and held out his hand. This man turned away with a surly face, and gave him nothing.
But after him another passed, and he gave the old man some trifling alms.
And the old man bought himself bread with the coppers given him, and sweet to him seemed the morsel gained by begging, and there was no shame in his heart, but the contrary: peace and joy came as a blessing upon him.
Scheme | X X A XX A X X X X X X X X X X X |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10110101111111 111111110110101001100010111110111111010111010111111110011 111101101110101111111101101010100111110111 01011111101011110110110110011010100 0111110111011010111001111111011110001101 01110110011 10011111111111011010110011010 01101111111011011001101 111001111010101111101101110 10111100111011111101 011111011111110101111111111111011111111 0111010010 111101111101001011111111111110110111011111 01110111101001011000010011011100101 011111101111111011010101110 110101010110111101 001110111010101011110101110011110111010010111010011 |
Characters | 2,333 |
Words | 455 |
Sentences | 27 |
Stanzas | 16 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
Lines Amount | 17 |
Letters per line (avg) | 102 |
Words per line (avg) | 25 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 109 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:14 min read
- 7 Views
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"Alms" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/55644/alms>.
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