Once there came a man

Stephen Crane 1871 – 1900



Once there came a man
Who said,
"Range me all men of the world in rows."
And instantly
There was terrific clamour among the people
Against being ranged in rows.
There was a loud quarrel, world-wide.
It endured for ages;
And blood was shed
By those who would not stand in rows,
And by those who pined to stand in rows.
Eventually, the man went to death, weeping.
And those who staid in bloody scuffle
Knew not the great simplicity.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

24 sec read
591

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDECFGBCCHED
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 438
Words 83
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane was an American politician from Elizabethtown who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. more…

All Stephen Crane poems | Stephen Crane Books

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