Analysis of Contentment
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
Sleep fell upon my senses and I dreamed
Long years had circled since my life had fled.
The world was different, and all things seemed
Remote and strange, like noises to the dead.
And one great Voice there was; and something said:
'Posterity is speaking-rightly deemed
Infallible:' and so I gave attention,
Hoping Posterity my name would mention.
'Illustrious Spirit,' said the Voice, 'appear!
While we confirm eternally thy fame,
Before our dread tribunal answer, here,
Why do no statues celebrate thy name,
No monuments thy services proclaim?
Why did not thy contemporaries rear
To thee some schoolhouse or memorial college?
It looks almighty queer, you must acknowledge.'
Up spake I hotly: 'That is where you err!'
But some one thundered in my ear: 'You shan't
Be interrupting these proceedings, sir;
The question was addressed to General Grant.'
Some other things were spoken which I can't
Distinctly now recall, but I infer,
By certain flushings of my cheeks and forehead,
Posterity's environment is torrid.
Then heard I (this was in a dream, remark)
Another Voice, clear, comfortable, strong,
As Grant's great shade, replying from the dark,
Said in a tone that rang the earth along,
And thrilled the senses of the Judges' throng:
'I'd rather you would question why, in park
And street, my monuments were not erected
Than why they were.' Then, waking, I reflected.
Scheme | ABABBACC DEXEEDFF XXGHHGBI JKJKKJII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101110011 1111011111 0111000111 0101110101 0111110101 0100110101 01000111010 10010011110 01001010101 1101010011 01101010101 11111011 1100110001 111101001 11111010010 11010111010 1111011111 11110011111 101010101 01010111001 1101010111 010111101 1101111010 10100110 1111100101 0101110001 1111010101 1001110101 0101010101 1101110101 01110001010 11101101010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,345 |
Words | 234 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 269 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 57 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 106 Views
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"Contentment" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1744/contentment>.
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