Analysis of The Soldier

Gerard Manley Hopkins 1844 (Stratford, London) – 1889 (Dublin)



Yes. Why do we áll, seeing of a soldier, bless him? bless
Our redcoats, our tars? Both these being, the greater part,
But frail clay, nay but foul clay. Here it is: the heart,
Since, proud, it calls the calling manly, gives a guess
That, hopes that, makesbelieve, the men must be no less;
It fancies, feigns, deems, dears the artist after his art;
And fain will find as sterling all as all is smart,
And scarlet wear the spirit of wár thére express.

Mark Christ our King. He knows war, served this soldiering through;
He of all can handle a rope best. There he bides in bliss
Now, and séeing somewhére some mán do all that man can do,
For love he leans forth, needs his neck must fall on, kiss,
And cry ‘O Christ-done deed! So God-made-flesh does too:
Were I come o’er again’ cries Christ ‘it should be this’.


Scheme ABBAABBA CDCDCD
Poetic Form Petrarchan sonnet  (36%)
Metre 11111101010111 10110111100101 111111111101 111101010101 1111011111 1101110101011 011111011111 01010101100111101 11101111111001 11111001111101 101111111111111 111111111111 011111111111 011101111111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 829
Words 154
Sentences 10
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 43
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 304
Words per stanza (avg) 76
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

46 sec read
129

Gerard Manley Hopkins

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