An Allegory
Barcroft Henry Thomas Boake 1866 – 1892
The fight was over, and the battle won
A soldier, who beneath his chieftain’s eye
Had done a might deed and done it well,
And done it as the world will have it done—
A stab, a curse, some quick play of the butt,
Two skulls cracked crosswise, but the colours saved—
Proud of his wounds, proud of the promised cross,
Turned to his rear-rank man, who on his gun
Leant heavily apart. ‘Ho, friend!’ he called,
‘You did not fight then: were you left behind?
I saw you not.’ The other turned and showed
A gapping, red-lipped wound upon his breast.
‘Ah,’ said he sadly, ‘I was in the smoke!’
Threw up his arms, shivered, and fell and died.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 83 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCADEFAGHIJKL |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 648 |
Words | 126 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"An Allegory" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/4175/an-allegory>.
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