Analysis of The Militiaman
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
'O warrior with the burnished arms
With bullion cord and tassel
Pray tell me of the lurid charms
Of service and the fierce alarms:
The storming of the castle,
The charge across the smoking field,
The rifles' busy rattle
What thoughts inspire the men who wield
The blade-their gallant souls how steeled
And fortified in battle.'
'Nay, man of peace, seek not to know
War's baleful fascination-
The soldier's hunger for the foe,
His dread of safety, joy to go
To court annihilation.
Though calling bugles blow not now,
Nor drums begin to beat yet,
One fear unmans me, I'll allow,
And poisons all my pleasure: How
If I should get my feet wet!'
Scheme | ABAABCBCCB DEDDEFGFFG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (35%) |
Metre | 110010101 1101010 11110101 11000101 0101010 01010101 0101010 11010111 01110111 010010 11111111 110010 01010101 11110111 110010 11010111 1101111 1111101 01011101 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 628 |
Words | 118 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 10 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 251 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 57 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 86 Views
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"The Militiaman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1947/the-militiaman>.
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