Analysis of To Either
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
Back further than
I know, in San
Francisco dwelt a wealthy man.
So rich was he
That none could be
Wise, good and great in like degree.
'Tis true he wrought,
In deed or thought,
But few of all the things he ought;
But men said: 'Who
Would wish him to?
Great souls are born to be, not do!'
One thing, indeed,
He did, we read,
Which was becoming, all agreed:
Grown provident,
Ere life was spent
He built a mighty monument.
For longer than
I know, in San
Francisco lived a beggar man;
And when in bed
They found him dead
'Just like the scamp!' the people said.
He died, they say,
On the same day
His wealthy neighbor passed away.
What matters it
When beggars quit
Their beats? I answer: Not a bit.
They got a spade
And pick and made
A hole, and there the chap was laid.
'He asked for bread,'
'Twas neatly said:
'He'll get not even a stone instead.'
The years rolled round:
His humble mound
Sank to the level of the ground;
And men forgot
That the bare spot
Was like (and was) the beggar's lot.
Forgotten, too,
Was t'other, who
Had reared the monument to woo
Inconstant Fame,
Though still his name
Shouted in granite just the same.
That name, I swear,
They both did bear
The beggar and the millionaire.
That lofty tomb,
Then, honored-whom?
For argument here's ample room.
I'll not debate,
But only state
The scamp first claimed it at the Gate.
St. Peter, proud
To serve him, bowed
And showed him to the softest cloud.
Scheme | aAabbb cccddd efegxg aAafff hhhiii jjjfff kkklll dddmmm nnnooo pppqqq |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (47%) Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 1101 1101 01010101 1111 1111 11010101 1111 0111 11110111 1111 1111 11111111 1101 1111 11010101 1100 1111 11010100 1101 1101 01010101 0101 1111 11010101 1111 1011 11010101 1101 1101 11110101 1101 0101 01010111 1111 1101 111100101 0111 1101 11010101 0101 1011 1101011 0101 11101 11010011 11 1111 10010101 1111 1111 0100001 1101 1101 11001101 1101 1101 01111101 1101 1111 01110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,361 |
Words | 273 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 60 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 107 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:22 min read
- 63 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"To Either" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2008/to-either>.
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