Analysis of The Hesitating Veteran
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
When I was young and full of faith
And other fads that youngsters cherish
A cry rose as of one that saith
With emphasis: 'Help or I perish!'
'Twas heard in all the land, and men
The sound were each to each repeating.
It made my heart beat faster then
Than any heart can now be beating.
For the world is old and the world is gray-
Grown prudent and, I think, more witty.
She's cut her wisdom teeth, they say,
And doesn't now go in for Pity.
Besides, the melancholy cry
Was that of one, 'tis now conceded,
Whose plight no one beneath the sky
Felt half so poignantly as he did.
Moreover, he was black. And yet
That sentimental generation
With an austere compassion set
Its face and faith to the occasion.
Then there were hate and strife to spare,
And various hard knocks a-plenty;
And I ('twas more than my true share,
I must confess) took five-and-twenty.
That all is over now-the reign
Of love and trade stills all dissensions,
And the clear heavens arch again
Above a land of peace and pensions.
The black chap-at the last we gave
Him everything that he had cried for,
Though many white chaps in the grave
'Twould puzzle to say what they died for.
I hope he's better off-I trust
That his society and his master's
Are worth the price we paid, and must
Continue paying, in disasters;
But sometimes doubts press thronging round
('Tis mostly when my hurts are aching)
If war for Union was a sound
And profitable undertaking.
'Tis said they mean to take away
The Negro's vote for he's unlettered.
'Tis true he sits in darkness day
And night, as formerly, when fettered;
But pray observe-howe'er he vote
To whatsoever party turning,
He'll be with gentlemen of note
And wealth and consequence and learning.
With saints and sages on each side,
How could a fool through lack of knowledge,
Vote wrong? If learning is no guide
Why ought one to have been in college?
O Son of Day, O Son of Night!
What are your preferences made of?
I know not which of you is right,
Nor which to be the more afraid of.
The world is old and the world is bad,
And creaks and grinds upon its axis;
And man's an ape and the gods are mad!-
There's nothing sure, not even our taxes!
No mortal man can Truth restore,
Or say where she is to be sought for.
I know what uniform I wore-
O, that I knew which side I fought for!
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJKFKF XLCLMNMN OLOLPDPD EFEXQDQD RXRXSTST ULULNNNN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 010111010 01111111 110011110 11010101 010111010 11111101 110111110 1011100111 110011110 11010111 010110110 0101001 111111010 11110101 111100111 01011101 1010010 11010101 110110010 11010111 010011010 01111111 110111010 11110101 1101111 00110101 010111010 01110111 11011111 11011001 110111111 11110111 1101000110 11011101 010100010 1011111 110111110 11110101 01000100 11111101 011111 11110101 011100110 11011011 10101010 11110011 010100010 11010111 110111110 11110111 111111010 11111111 111100011 11111111 111101011 011100111 010101110 011100111 11011101010 11011101 111111111 1111011 111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,231 |
Words | 435 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 221 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 54 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:13 min read
- 95 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Hesitating Veteran" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1933/the-hesitating-veteran>.
Discuss this Ambrose Bierce poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In