Analysis of Cuckoo Song
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
(Spring begins in southern England on the 14th April, on which date the Old Woman lets the Cuckoo out of her basket at Heathfield Fair -- locally known as Heffle Cuckoo Fair.)
Tell it to the locked-up trees,
Cuckoo, bring your song here!
Warrant, Act and Summons, please,
For Spring to pass along here!
Tell old Winder, if he doubt,
Tell him squat and square -- a!
Old Woman!
Old Woman!
Old Woman's let the Cuckoo out
At Heffle Cuckoo Fair -- a!
March has searched and April tried --
'Tisn't long to Mary now.
Not so far to Whitsuntide
And Cuckoo's come to stay now!
Hear the valiant fellow shout
Down the orchard bare -- a!
Old Woman!
Old Woman!
Old Woman's let the Cuckoo out
At Heffle Cuckoo Fair -- a!
When your heart is young and gay
And the season rules it --
Work your works and play your play
'Fore the Autumn cools it!
Kiss you turn and turn-about,
But my lad, beware -- a!
Old Woman!
Old Woman!
Old Woman's let the Cuckoo out
At Heffle Cuckoo Fair -- a!
Scheme | x ababcdEECD xfcfcdEECD ghghcdEECD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1010101010111011101101011101011110011111 1110111 11111 1010101 1111011 1110111 111010 110 110 1101011 11110 1110101 111101 11111 0101111 1010101 101010 110 110 1101011 11110 1111101 001011 1110111 101011 1110101 111010 110 110 1101011 11110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 941 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 10, 10, 10 |
Lines Amount | 31 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 181 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 13, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 188 Views
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