Analysis of The Gamblers
Life's a jail where men have common lot.
Gaunt the one who has, and who has not.
All our treasures neither less nor more,
Bread alone comes thro' the guarded door.
Cards are foolish in this jail, I think,
Yet they play for shoes, for drabs and drink.
She, my lawless, sharp-tongued gypsy maid
Will not scorn with me this jail-bird trade,
Pets some fox-eyed boy who turns the trick,
Tho' he win a button or a stick,
Pencil, garter, ribbon, corset-lace —
His the glory, mine is the disgrace.
Sweet, I'd rather lose than win despite
Love of hearty words and maids polite.
"Love's a gamble," say you. I deny.
Love's a gift. I love you till I die.
Gamblers fight like rats. I will not play.
All I ever had I gave away.
All I ever coveted was peace
Such as comes if we have jail release.
Cards are puzzles, tho' the prize be gold,
Cards help not the bread that tastes of mold,
Cards dye not your hair to black more deep,
Cards make not the children cease to weep.
Scorned, I sit with half shut eyes all day —
Watch the cataract of sunshine play
Down the wall, and dance upon the floor.
Sun, come down and break the dungeon door!
Of such gold dust could I make a key, —
Turn the bolt — how soon we would be free!
Over borders we would hurry on
Safe by sunrise farms, and springs of dawn,
Wash our wounds and jail stains there at last,
Azure rivers flowing, flowing past.
God has great estates just past the line,
Green farms for all, and meat and corn and wine.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFF GGHHIIJJKKLL IIBBMMXXNNOO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101111101 101110111 1101010111 101110101 111001111 111111101 111011101 111111111 111111101 111010101 101010101 101011001 111011101 111010101 101011101 101111111 101111111 111011101 111010011 111111101 111010111 111011111 111111111 111010111 111111111 10100111 101010101 111010101 111111101 101111111 101011101 11110111 1101011111 101010101 111011101 1111010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,469 |
Words | 284 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 369 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 94 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:26 min read
- 132 Views
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"The Gamblers" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37365/the-gamblers>.
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