Analysis of Song of Myself

Sir Walter Raleigh 1552 (Hayes Barton, East Budleigh, Devon) – 1618 (London)



I was a Poet!
    But I did not know it,
    Neither did my Mother,
    Nor my Sister nor my Brother.
    The Rich were not aware of it;
    The Poor took no care of it.
    The Reverend Mr. Drewitt
    Never knew it.
    The High did not suspect it;
  The Low could not detect it.
  Aunt Sue
  Said it was obviously untrue.
  Uncle Ned
  Said I was off my head:
  (This from a Colonial
  Was really a good testimonial.)
  Still everybody seemed to think
  That genius owes a good deal to drink.
  So that is how
  I am not a poet now,
  And why
  My inspiration has run dry.
  It is no sort of use
  To cultivate the Muse
  If vulgar people
  Can't tell a village pump from a church steeple.
  I am merely apologizing
  For the lack of the surprising
  In what I write
  To-night.
  I am quite well-meaning,
  But a lot of things are always intervening
  Between
  What I mean
  And what it is said
  I had in my head.
  It is all very puzzling.
  Uncle Ned
  Says Poets need muzzling.
  He might
  Be right.
Good-night!


Scheme abccbbabbbddEeffgghhiijkffllmmllnneelEgmmm
Poetic Form
Metre 11010 111111 101110 11101110 01010111 0111111 0100101 1011 0111011 0111011 11 111100001 101 111111 1100100 110010100 1100111 110101111 1111 1110101 01 1010111 111111 11001 11010 11010110110 11100100 10110010 0111 11 111110 1011111010 01 111 01111 11011 11110100 101 11011 11 11 11
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 989
Words 189
Sentences 18
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 42
Lines Amount 42
Letters per line (avg) 17
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 710
Words per stanza (avg) 186
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

57 sec read
158

Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh, also spelled Ralegh, was an English landed gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer. more…

All Sir Walter Raleigh poems | Sir Walter Raleigh Books

0 fans

Discuss this Sir Walter Raleigh poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Song of Myself" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35454/song-of-myself>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    30
    days
    20
    hours
    24
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the nonsense poem Jabberwocky?
    A Lewis Carroll
    B Ogden Nash
    C Edward Lear
    D Spike Milligan