To A Stuffed Shirt
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
On the tide you ride head high,
Like a whale 'mid little fishes;
I should envy you as I
Help my wife to wash the dishes.
Yet frock-coat and stove-pipe hat
Cannot hide your folds of fat.
You are reckoned a success,
And the public praise you win;
There's your picture in the Press,
Pouchy eyes and triple chin.
Wealth,--of it you fairly stink;
Health,--what does your Doctor think?
Dignity is phoney stuff.
Who is dignified deep down?
Strip the pants off, call the bluff,
Common clay are king and clown.
Let a bulging belly be
Your best bid for dignity.
Miserable millionaire!
For indulgence you must pay.
Yet there's salvation in prayer,--
Down on your fat knees and pray.
Know that with your dying breath
There is dignity in death.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 121 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII JKJKLL |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 716 |
Words | 136 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"To A Stuffed Shirt" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32703/to-a-stuffed-shirt>.
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