Analysis of A Tumbler Of Claret
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
I poured out a tumbler of Claret,
Of course with intention to drink,
And, holding it up in the sunlight,
I paused for a moment to think.
I really can't tell you what made me;
I never had done so before,
Though for years, every day at my dinner,
I had emptied one tumbler or more.
'A friend' in the loneliest hours,
'A companion,' I called the red wine,
And sometimes I poetized slightly,
And called it a 'nectar divine.'
But to-day as I gazed at the claret,
That sparkled and glowed in the sun,
I asked it, 'What have you done for me,
That any true friend would have done?
'You have given me some pleasant feelings,
But they always were followed by pain.
You have given me ten thousand headaches,
And are ready to do it again.
You have set my blood leaping and bounding,
Which, though pleasant, was hurtful, no doubt,
And, if I keep up the acquaintance,
I am sure you will give me the gout.
'I remember a certain occasion,
When you caused me to act like a fool.
And, yes, I remember another
When you made me fall into a pool.
And there was Tom Smithers-you killed him!
Will Howard you made a poor knave.
Both my friends! and I might count a
dozen
You have sent to the prison or grave.
'Is this like a loyal friend's treatment?
And are you deserving the name?
Say! what do you give those who love you
But poverty, sorrow, and shame?
A few paltry moments of pleasure,
And ages of trouble and grief.
No wonder you blush in the sunlight,
You robber, you liar, you thief!
'I will have nothing more to do with you,
From this moment, this hour, this day.
To send you adrift, bag and baggage,
I know is the only safe way.'
And I poured out that tumbler of claret,
Poured it
out
, and not
down
, on the spot.
And all this you see was accomplished,
By a few sober moments of thought.
Scheme | ABABCDED XFCFAGCG XXXXXAXA GHEHXIXG I AJKJELAL KAXXAAAAXAAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101011 11101011 01011001 11101011 110111111 11011101 11110011110 111011011 0100110 001011011 0011110 01101001 111111101 11001001 111111111 11011111 1110111010 11101011 111011101 011011101 1111110010 111011011 011110010 111111101 1010010010 111111101 011010010 111110101 011110111 11011011 11101110 10 111101011 111010110 01101001 111111111 11001001 011010110 01011001 11011001 11011011 1111011111 111011011 111011010 11101011 011111011 11 1 01 1 101 011111010 101101011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,732 |
Words | 346 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 1, 8, 12 |
Lines Amount | 53 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 193 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:43 min read
- 69 Views
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