Analysis of A Ballade Of Burial

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



"Saint Praxed's ever was the Church for peace"

If down here I chance to die,
Solemnly I beg you take
All that is left of "I"
To the Hills for old sake's sake,
Pack me very thoroughly
In the ice that used to slake
Pegs I drank when I was dry,
This observe for old sake's sake.

To the railway station hie,
There a single ticket take
For Umballa, goods-train, I
Shall not mind delay or shake.
I shall rest contentedly
Spite of clamour coolies make;
Thus in state and dignity
Send me up for old sake's sake.

Next the sleepy Babu wake,
Book a Kalka van "for four."
Few, I think, will care to make
Journeys with me any more
As they used to do of yore.
I shall need a "special" brake,
'Thing I never took before,
Get me one for old sake's sake.

After that, arrangements make.
No hotel will take me in,
And a bullock's back would break
'Neath the teak and leaden skin
Tonga-ropes are frail and thin,
Or, did I a back-seat take,
In a tonga I might spin,
Do your best for old sake's sake.

After that, your work is done.
Recollect a Padre must
Mourn the dear departed one,
Throw the ashes and the dust.
Don't go down at once. I trust
You will find excuse to "snake
Three days' casual on the bust."
Get your fun for old sake's sake.

I could never stand the Plains.
Think of blazing June and May
Think of those September rains
Yearly till the Judgment Day!
I should never rest in peace,
I should sweat and lie awake.
Rail me then, on my decease,
To the Hills for old sake's sake.


Scheme a bcbCdcbc xcbcdcdc ceceecec cfcffcfc ghghhchc ijijacaC
Poetic Form
Metre 111010111 1111111 1001111 111111 1011111 1110100 0011111 1111111 1011111 101101 1010101 11111 1110111 1110100 11111 1010100 1111111 1010011 1010111 1111111 1011101 1111111 1110101 1110101 1111111 1010101 1011110 0010111 1010101 1011101 1110111 0010111 1111111 1011111 01011 1010101 1010001 1111111 1110111 11100101 1111111 1110101 1110101 1110101 1010101 1110101 1110101 1111101 1011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,439
Words 295
Sentences 17
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 49
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 159
Words per stanza (avg) 41
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on March 15, 2023

1:30 min read
79

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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