Analysis of King Bibler's Army
Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)
It was ten years ago when the belle of the village
Gave here her hand to the young millionaire,
Every toungue (even those of the bells in the steeple)
Saying "Joy to the Heav'n-blest pair!"
She was sweet as the rosebud that blooms in the valley;
He was manly, and noble, and brave.
Tell me, where are they now?
In the sad-eyed procession,
Marching, down, down, down to the grave.
Hark! hark! a pageant passes
(tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp):
I hear the tread of moving masses
(tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp)
O Heaven save our young men --
'tis King Bibler's Army,
Marching down, down, down to the grave.
At the head of the boat are the dashing lieutenants
Who entice young recruits into line;
Arm in arm, three abreast, they keep step with the music,
Bearing goblets of blood red wine.
In the rear, by and by, we shall see them together,
As they stagger along on the pave,
With their wives and their children, a rag-robed procession,
Marching, down, down, down to the grave.
From the front to the rear is the rule of promotion
In the army King Bibler commands;
And the pension is pov'rty, disease and dishonor,
With a forfeit of home and lands.
So the friend that was treated to cordials and juleps,
Will be treated at last like a slave,
As he fags at the end of the chaingang procession,
Marching, down, down, down to the grave.
Would you fill up the ranks? let your town send its quota:
Seventy thousand recruits must be found,
For the gravediggers reckon they bury that number
Every year in the cold, cold ground.
Yet the rest hobble on, and the colors they carry,
Though in tatters, triumphantly wave,
For they vanquish themselves in this madman's procession,
Marching, down, down, down to the grave.
Scheme | xaxabcxdC eFeFxbC xgxghcdC dihixcdC xjhjbcdC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111011011010 110110101 10011011010010 10110111 1111010110010 111001001 111111 0011010 10111101 1101010 1111 110111010 1111 11011011 11110 10111101 1011011010010 101101011 1011011111010 1011111 0011011111010 111001101 1110110011010 10111101 1011011011010 0010110001 001011010010 10101101 1011110110010 111011101 111101101010 10111101 1111011111110 1001001111 10110110110 100100111 1011010010110 101001001 111001011010 10111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,667 |
Words | 308 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 7, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 262 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 61 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 75 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"King Bibler's Army" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17268/king-bibler%27s-army>.
Discuss this Henry Clay Work poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In