Analysis of The Yearly Lie
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
A merry Christmas? Prudent, as I live!
You wish me something that you need not give.
Merry or sad, what does it signify?
To you 't is equal if I laugh, or die.
Your hollow greeting, like a parrot's jest,
Finds all its meaning in the ear addressed.
Why 'merry' Christmas? Faith, I'd rather frown
Than grin and caper like a tickled clown.
When fools are merry the judicious weep;
The wise are happy only when asleep.
A present? Pray you give it to disarm
A man more powerful to do you harm.
'T was not your motive? Well, I cannot let
You pay for favors that you'll never get.
Perish the savage custom of the gift,
Founded in terror and maintained in thrift!
What men of honor need to aid their weal
They purchase, or, occasion serving, steal.
Go celebrate the day with turkeys, pies,
Sermons and psalms, and, for the children, lies.
Let Santa Claus descend again the flue;
If Baby doubt it, swear that it is true.
'A lie well stuck to is as good as truth,'
And God's too old to legislate for youth.
Hail Christmas! On my knees and fowl I fall:
For greater grace and better gravy call.
_Vive l'Humbug!_-that's to say, God bless us all!
Scheme | XX AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH II HX JJ HHH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101010111 1111011111 101111110 11111011111 110101011 1111000101 1101011101 1101010101 1111000101 0111010101 0101111101 0111001111 11111011101 1111011101 1001010101 1001000101 1111011111 1101010101 110011101 1001010101 1101010101 1101111111 0111111111 011111011 1101110111 1101010101 111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,114 |
Words | 216 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3 |
Lines Amount | 27 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 66 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 16 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 39 Views
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"The Yearly Lie" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1991/the-yearly-lie>.
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