Analysis of The Defence
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
Not guilty, yer Honers! I talks to yer straight!
An' I calls it a pretty crook game
An' an 'og of a thing, if the coppers should bring
Such dishonor as this on me name
On me name that 'as stood fer up'oldin' the good!
It's enough to make any bloke weep!
An' the goods as they says I received - spare me days!
Don't I tell yer I bought 'em dirt cheap!
Yes, I bought 'em dirt cheap; an' I says to the Bench,
As a man 'oo acts honest an' square,
That me solid defence is poun's, shillin's an' pence,
An' I arsts yer to deal with me fair.
Fer it's more than a joke when a square-livin' bloke
Is 'ad up fer committin' a crime;
Fer the JOHN, 'ere, 'e swears to the goods, an' declares
As I knoo they was pinched at the time.
But, gentlemen, listen, I bought 'em dirt cheap!
As the bloke 'ere, who sold 'em kin swear.
But they say 'e was crook, an' the goods that 'e took
Wasn't got, so to speak, on the square.
Well, per'aps that's all true, an' they ses that I knoo
They wus pinched when I made 'im the bid.
It 'ud be a fair sin fer to miss that chuck in;
So I arsts: Wot's the odds if I did?
'Ere's the Cop ses I'm charged with receivin' the goods,
As I bloomin' well knoo to be stole;
But then that isn't stealin' meself, an' I feel
As I orn't to be in this 'ole.
Fer I never stole things in me life, an' I brings
Twenty witnesses 'ere fer to say
That in all er me days I 'ave allus earned praise
Fer up'oldin' the straight, honest way.
Yus, I allus 'ave preached that to steal wus a sin,
An' I never pinched things in me life;
An' I brings up me kids as strict honesty bids,
An' I gotter respectable wife.
I am known in our street as a man 'ard to beat
At comdemnin' all thievin' an' crime;
An' there's clergymen 'ere as is ready to clear
Up me character every time.
So, yer Honers, I arsts to be cleared o' the charge;
An' I think yet should say, at the time,
Me respectable name is quite free frum all blame
In connection with thievin' an' crime.
Fer me great repitation's at stake, in a way;
It's a thing as I'm anxious ter keep;
Fer I never been once in the - Wot's that?
SIX MUNCE!
But, yer Honers, I got them things cheap!
Scheme | XAXAXBCB XDXDXEXE BDXDFGFG XHXHXICI FJXJXEXE XEAEIBXXB |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111111 111101011 111101101011 101011111 1111111101 101111011 101111101111 111111111 111111111101 101111011 11100111111 111111111 11110110111 1111101 101111101101 111111101 11001011111 101111111 111111101111 101111101 11111111111 111111101 111011111110 111101111 1011111101 11111111 1111011111 111111011 111011011111 101001111 10101111111 1101101 11111111101 111011011 111111111001 11101001 1110101101111 111111 111001111011 111001001 11111111101 111111101 101001111111 00101111 111111001 101111011 1110110011 11 11111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,089 |
Words | 435 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9 |
Lines Amount | 49 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 259 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 72 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:16 min read
- 36 Views
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"The Defence" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6616/the-defence>.
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