Analysis of A Retort
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
As vicious women think all men are knaves,
And shrew-bound gentlemen discourse of slaves;
As reeling drunkards judge the world unsteady
And idlers swear employers ne'er get ready
Thieves that the constable stole all they had,
The mad that all except themselves are mad;
So, in another's clear escutcheon shown,
Barnes rails at stains reflected from his own;
Prates of 'docility,' nor feels the dark
Ring round his neck-the Ralston collar mark.
Back, man, to studies interrupted once,
Ere yet the rogue had merged into the dunce.
Back, back to Yale! and, grown with years discreet,
The course a virgin's lust cut short, complete.
Go drink again at the Pierian pool,
And learn-at least to better play the fool.
No longer scorn the draught, although the font,
Unlike Pactolus, waters not Belmont.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFAGGHHII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011111 0111001011 11010101010 0110101110 1101001111 0111010111 10010111 1111010111 1101001101 1111010101 111100101 1101110101 1111011101 0101011101 11011011 0111110101 110101101 0111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 784 |
Words | 135 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 18 |
Lines Amount | 18 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 629 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 132 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 134 Views
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"A Retort" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1657/a-retort>.
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