Analysis of A Ballad Of Refreshment
Robert Fuller Murray 1863 – 1894
The lady stood at the station bar,
(Three currants in a bun)
And oh she was proud, as ladies are.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
For a weekly wage she was standing there,
(Three currants in a bun)
With a prominent bust and light gold hair.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
The express came in at half-past two,
(Three currants in a bun)
And there lighted a man in the navy blue.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
A stout sea-captain he was, I ween.
(Three currants in a bun)
Much travel had made him very keen.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
A sober man and steady was he.
(Three currants in a bun)
He called not for brandy, but called for tea.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
'Now something to eat, for the train is late.'
(Three currants in a bun)
She brought him a bun on a greasy plate.
(And the bun was baked a week ago.)
He left the bun, and he left the tea,
(Three currants in a bun)
She charged him a shilling and let him be,
And the train went on at a quarter to three.
(And the bun is old and weary.)
Scheme | aBaC dBdC eBeC bBxC fBfC gBgC fBfff |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010110101 11001 011111101 001110101 1010111101 11001 1010010111 001110101 001101111 11001 01100100101 001110101 011101111 11001 110111101 001110101 010101011 11001 1111101111 001110101 1101110111 11001 1110110101 001110101 110101101 11001 1110100111 00111101011 00111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,009 |
Words | 223 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 29 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 108 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 104 Views
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"A Ballad Of Refreshment" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30953/a-ballad-of-refreshment>.
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