For Merit

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



To Parmentier Parisians raise
A statue fine and large:
He cooked potatoes fifty ways,
Nor ever led a charge.

'_Palmam qui meruit'_-the rest
You knew as well as I;
And best of all to him that best
Of sayings will apply.

Let meaner men the poet's bays
Or warrior's medal wear;
Who cooks potatoes fifty ways
Shall bear the palm-de terre.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

19 sec read
130

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD AXAX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 331
Words 63
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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