Analysis of A Dirge for a Righteous Kitten

Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)



To be intoned, all but the two italicized lines, which are to be spoken in a snappy, matter-of-fact way.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.
Here lies a kitten good, who kept
A kitten's proper place.
He stole no pantry eatables,
Nor scratched the baby's face.
He let the alley-cats alone.
He had no yowling vice.
His shirt was always laundried well,
He freed the house of mice.
Until his death he had not caused
His little mistress tears,
He wore his ribbon prettily,
He washed behind his ears.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.


Scheme x AxbbbxcdcxxdxA
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1101110111111110001010111 111111 11010111 01101 111101 110101 11010101 11111 111111 110111 01111111 110101 111101 110111 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 518
Words 91
Sentences 10
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 1, 14
Lines Amount 15
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 202
Words per stanza (avg) 45
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 29, 2023

27 sec read
104

Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. more…

All Vachel Lindsay poems | Vachel Lindsay Books

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