School

James Kenneth Stephen 1859 (London) – 1892



If there is a vile, pernicious,
Wicked and degraded rule,
Tending to debase the vicious,
And corrupt the harmless fool;
If there is a hateful habit
Making man a senseless tool,
With the feelings of a rabbit
And the wisdom of a mule;
It's the rule which inculcates,
It's the habit which dictates
The wrong and sinful practice of going into school.
  
If there's anything improving
To an erring sinner's state,
Which is useful in removing
All the ills of human fate;
If there's any glorious custom
Which our faults can dissipate,
And can casually thrust 'em
Out of sight and make us great;
It's the plan by which we shirk
Half our matu-ti-nal work,
The glorious institution of always being late.
  
James Kenneth Stephen.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on April 27, 2023

39 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCBCBDDB EFEFXFXFGGF X
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 697
Words 127
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 11, 11, 1

James Kenneth Stephen

James Kenneth Stephen was an English poet, and tutor to Prince Albert Victor, eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. more…

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    "School" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/55687/school>.

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