Analysis of Francois Villon
Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I,
What would it matter to me how the time might drag or fly?
_He_ would in sweaty anguish toil the days and night away,
And still not keep the prowling, growling, howling wolf at bay!
But, with my valiant bottle and my frouzy brevet-bride,
And my score of loyal cut-throats standing guard for me outside,
What worry of the morrow would provoke a casual sigh
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I?
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I,
To yonder gloomy boulevard at midnight I would hie;
'Stop, stranger! and deliver your possessions, ere you feel
The mettle of my bludgeon or the temper of my steel!'
He should give me gold and diamonds, his snuffbox and his cane--
'Now back, my boon companions, to our brothel with our gain!'
And, back within that brothel, how the bottles they would fly,
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I!
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I,
We both would mock the gibbet which the law has lifted high;
_He_ in his meager, shabby home, _I_ in my roaring den--
He with his babes around him, _I_ with my hunted men!
His virtue be his bulwark--my genius should be mine!--
'Go fetch my pen, sweet Margot, and a jorum of your wine!'
* * * * *
So would one vainly plod, and one win immortality--
If I were Francois Villon and Francois Villon I!
Scheme | AabbccaA AxddeeaA Aaffgg xA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11001100111 11110111011111 11010101010101 01110101010111 111101001111 011110111011111 110101010101001 11001100111 11001100111 110101011111 11000101010111 01011101010111 1111101011011 1111010110101101 01011101010111 11001100111 11001100111 1111011011101 10110101101101 1111011111101 1101110110111 1111110001111 1 1111010110100 11001100111 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 1,337 |
Words | 257 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 6, 1, 2 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 42 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 209 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:16 min read
- 112 Views
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"Francois Villon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12947/francois-villon>.
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