Analysis of Matilda Who told Lies, and was Burned to Death
Hilaire Belloc 1870 (La Celle-Saint-Cloud) – 1953
Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left alone,
Went tiptoe to the Telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade.
Within an hour the Gallant Band
Were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's House is Burning Down!'
Inspired by British Cheers and Loud
Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score
Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took Peculiar Pains to Souse
The Pictures up and down the House,
Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded
In showing them they were not needed;
And even then she had to pay
To get the Men to go away,
It happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
To see that Interesting Play
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had refused to take her Niece
To hear this Entertaining Piece:
A Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish her for Telling Lies.
That Night a Fire did break out--
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street--
(The rapidly increasing Heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidnce) -- but all in vain!
For every time she shouted 'Fire!'
They only answered 'Little Liar!'
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.
Scheme | AABBCDEEFFGGHHIIJKLLMMNNAOPPFFDDFFQQAARRSSTTUUDDVV |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (32%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 01011101 11110111 011101001 11010111 010101010 010101010 01111111 01010100 11010111 010101011 01011101 111010 010001001 110101001 011100101 010011001 11010101 11010101 11010101 111101 010110101 01010101 11110101 11010111 01010111 01010101 0111010 010110110 01011111 11011101 110101110 011110100 1111001 0101010 11011101 1110101 0010101 11001101 11010111 11110101 11110101 01010101 11010001 01000101 01000101 111101 1100111010 110101010 0110101 01000101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,649 |
Words | 301 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 50 |
Lines Amount | 50 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,332 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 296 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 1:30 min read
- 322 Views
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