Analysis of The Dying Statesman

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



It is a politician man
He draweth near his end,
And friends weep round that partisan,
Of every man the friend.

Between the Known and the Unknown
He lieth on the strand;
The light upon the sea is thrown
That lay upon the land.

It shineth in his glazing eye,
It burneth on his face;
God send that when we come to die
We know that sign of grace!

Upon his lips his blessed sprite
Poiseth her joyous wing.
'How is it with thee, child of light?
Dost hear the angels sing?'

'The song I hear, the crown I see,
And know that God is love.
Farewell, dark world-I go to be
A postmaster above!'

For him no monumental arch,
But, O, 'tis good and brave
To see the Grand Old Party march
To office o'er his grave!


Scheme XAXA BCBC DEDE FGFG HIHI JKJK
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1100101 11111 01111100 1100101 01010001 11101 01010111 110101 1101101 11111 11111111 111111 0111111 10101 11111111 110101 01110111 011111 1111111 01001 1110101 111101 11011101 1101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 681
Words 142
Sentences 10
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 89
Words per stanza (avg) 23
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
122

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

2 fans

Discuss this Ambrose Bierce poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Dying Statesman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1921/the-dying-statesman>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Ambrose Bierce

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    15
    hours
    40
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem 'My Shadow'?
    A Sylvia Plath
    B Maya Angelou
    C Robert Louis Stevenson
    D Edgar Allan Poe