Analysis of The Tramps
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Can you recall, dear comrade, when we tramped God's land together,
And we sang the old, old Earth-song, for our youth was very sweet;
When we drank and fought and lusted, as we mocked at tie and tether,
Along the road to Anywhere, the wide world at our feet --
Along the road to Anywhere, when each day had its story;
When time was yet our vassal, and life's jest was still unstale;
When peace unfathomed filled our hearts as, bathed in amber glory,
Along the road to Anywhere we watched the sunsets pale?
Alas! the road to Anywhere is pitfalled with disaster;
There's hunger, want, and weariness, yet O we loved it so!
As on we tramped exultantly, and no man was our master,
And no man guessed what dreams were ours, as, swinging heel and toe,
We tramped the road to Anywhere, the magic road to Anywhere,
The tragic road to Anywhere, such dear, dim years ago.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD AEAEXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111111010 0110111111011101 1110101011111010 01011100111101 01011101111110 11111010011111 11111011101010 010111011011 0101110111010 11010100111111 1111010001111010 011111010110101 11011100101110 0101110111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic octameter |
Characters | 879 |
Words | 161 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 6 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 47 |
Words per line (avg) | 11 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 221 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 53 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 16, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 155 Views
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"The Tramps" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32669/the-tramps>.
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