Analysis of Going Into Breeches
Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)
Joy to Philip, he this day
Has his long coats cast away,
And (the childish season gone)
Puts the manly breeches on.
Officer on gay parade,
Red-coat in his first cockade,
Bridegroom in his wedding trim,
Birthday beau surpassing him,
Never did with conscious gait
Strut about in half the state,
Or the pride (yet free from sin)
Of my little Manikin:
Never was there pride, or bliss,
Half so rational as his.
Sashes, frocks, to those that need 'em-
Philip's limbs have got their freedom-
He can run, or he can ride,
And do twenty things beside,
Which his petticoats forbad:
Is he not a happy lad?
Now he's under other banners,
He must leave his former manners;
Bid adieu to female games,
And forget their very names,
Puss-in-corners, hide-and-seek,
Sports for girls and punies weak!
Baste-the-bear he now may play at,
Leap-frog, foot-ball, sport away at,
Show his strength and skill at cricket,
Mark his distance, pitch his wicket,
Run about in winter's snow
Till his cheeks and fingers glow,
Climb a tree, or scale a wall,
Without any fear to fall.
If he get a hurt or bruise,
To complain he must refuse,
Though the anguish and the smart
Go unto his little heart,
He must have his courage ready,
Keep his voice and visage steady,
Brace his eye-balls stiff as drum,
That a tear may never come,
And his grief must only speak
From the colour in his cheek.
This and more he must endure,
Hero he in miniature!
This and more must now be done
Now the breeches are put on.
Scheme | AABCDAEEFFGBHIJKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUUVVWWKKPPXXYC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110111 1111101 0010101 101011 1001101 110111 101101 110101 1011101 1010101 1011111 11101 1011111 1110011 10111111 10111110 1111111 0110101 111001 1110101 11101010 11111010 101111 0011101 1010101 111011 10111111 11111011 11101110 11101110 1010101 1110101 1011101 0110111 1110111 1011101 1010001 1101101 11111010 11101010 1111111 1011101 0111101 101011 1011101 1010100 1011111 101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,423 |
Words | 268 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 48 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,129 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 266 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 50 Views
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"Going Into Breeches" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5343/going-into-breeches>.
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