Analysis of The Pauper's Christmas Carol
Thomas Hood 1799 (London) – 1845 (London)
Full of drink and full of meat,
On our SAVIOUR'S natal day,
CHARITY'S perennial treat;
Thus I heard a Pauper say:—
'Ought not I to dance and sing
Thus supplied with famous cheer?
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year.
'After labor's long turmoil,
Sorry fare and frequent fast,
Two-and-fifty weeks of toil,
Pudding-time is come at last!
But are raisins high or low,
Flour and suet cheap or dear?
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year.
'Fed upon the coarsest fare
Three hundred days and sixty-four,
But for one on viands rare,
Just as if I wasn't poor!
Ought not I to bless my stars,
Warden, clerk, and overseer?
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year.
'Treated like a welcome guest,
One of Nature's social chain,
Seated, tended on, and press'd—
But when shall I be press'd again,
Twice to pudding, thrice to beef,
A dozen times to ale and beer?
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year.
'Come to-morrow how it will;
Diet scant and usage rough,
Hunger once has had its fill,
Thirst for once has had enough,
But shall I ever dine again?
Or see another feast appear?
Heigho!
I only know—
Christmas comes but once a year!
'Frozen cares begin to melt,
Hopes revive and spirits flow—
Feeling as I have not felt
Since a dozen months ago—
Glad enough to sing a song—
To-morrow shall I volunteer?
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year.
'Bright and blessed is the time,
Sorrows end and joys begin,
While the bells with merry chime
Ring the Day of Plenty in!
But the happy tide to hail,
With a sigh or with or a tear,
Heigho!
I hardly know—
Christmas comes but once a year!'
Scheme | ababxcDEC fgfgecDEC hxhxxxDEC ixijxcDEC klkljcDeC memexcDEC nonoxhDEC |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110111 1101101 10001001 1110101 1111101 1011101 1 1101 1011101 101011 1010101 1010111 1011111 1110111 1001111 1 1101 1011101 101011 11010101 111111 1111101 1111111 10101010 1 1101 1011101 1010101 1110101 1010101 11111101 1110111 01011101 1 1101 1011101 1110111 1010101 1011111 1111101 11110101 11010101 1 1101 1011101 1010111 1010101 1011111 1010101 1011101 1101101 1 1101 1011101 101101 1010101 1011101 1011100 1010111 10111101 1 1101 1011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,664 |
Words | 306 |
Sentences | 25 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9 |
Lines Amount | 63 |
Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 179 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 90 Views
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"The Pauper's Christmas Carol" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36700/the-pauper%27s-christmas-carol>.
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