Analysis of A Hero's Decision.
He just had reached the time of life,
When cares are felt by men,
But when they're strong to bear them well, -
A score of years and ten.
"Heigh ho!" says he, "and this is life,
The dream of earlier years,
In which we see so much of joy,
And naught of bitter tears.
"I've lived a half a score of years,
In search of fame and glory,
For all earth's boasted joys I've sought,
But ah! what is the story?"
The story! 'tis the same old tale,
Told long, long years ago,
But strange, each for himself must learn
This earth's a 'fleeting show.'
"The dreams of sanguine, hopeful youth,
Are chiefly dreams alone,
Whose falseness often breaks the heart,
Or turns it into stone.
Fame's or ambition's giddy height
Is only seldom gain'd,
And often half the pleasure leaves,
Just when the height's attain'd."
But still I strive, and still I hope,
And still I fight the battle,
Besieg'd by earth's artillery,
With all its horrid rattle.
Then come, ye mocking earthly foes,
E'en come like fiends of hell,
I'll fight the battle till I die,
And I will fight it well.
"I'll change my tactics quickly, tho',
Fight on a diff'rent line,
And on my waving battle flag,
I'll mark a diff'rent sign.
Until this present moment, I
Have fought in single strife,
But I will fight no more alone,
I'll get myself a wife.
We'll then fight all who dare oppose,
E'en should it be her brother,
And when we've vanquish'd all our foes,
We'll turn and fight each other."
Scheme | ABCBADXX DEXE XFXF XGXGXHXH XIEIJCKC FLXLKAGA JMJM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 111111 11111111 011101 11110111 0111001 01111111 011101 11010111 0111010 11110111 1111010 01010111 111101 11110111 110101 01110101 110101 1110101 111011 111101 110101 01010101 110101 11110111 0111010 01110100 1111010 11110101 1111111 11010111 011111 11110101 110111 01110101 110111 01110101 110101 11111101 11101 11111101 11111010 011101101 1101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,403 |
Words | 276 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 153 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:28 min read
- 3 Views
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"A Hero's Decision." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/56733/a-hero%27s-decision.>.
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