Analysis of 4th July 1882, Malines. Midnight

James Kenneth Stephen 1859 (London) – 1892



Belgian, with cumbrous tread and iron boots,
Who in the murky middle of the night,
Designing to renew the foul pursuits
In which thy life is passed, ill-favoured wight,
And wishing on the platform to alight
Where thou couldst mingle with thy fellow brutes,
Didst walk the carriage floor (a leprous sight),
As o'er the sky some baleful meteor shoots:
Upon my slippered foot thou didst descend,
Didst rouse me from my slumbers mad with pain,
And laughedst loud for several minutes' space.
Oh may'st thou suffer tortures without end:
May fiends with glowing pincers rend thy brain,
And beetles batten on thy blackened face!


Scheme ABABBABACDECDE
Poetic Form
Metre 101110101 1001010101 0101010101 011111111 010101101 1111011101 110101011 110011101001 011111101 111111111 011110101 11111010011 1111010111 0101011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 616
Words 107
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 496
Words per stanza (avg) 105
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
118

James Kenneth Stephen

James Kenneth Stephen was an English poet, and tutor to Prince Albert Victor, eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. more…

All James Kenneth Stephen poems | James Kenneth Stephen Books

1 fan

Discuss this James Kenneth Stephen poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "4th July 1882, Malines. Midnight" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20201/4th-july-1882%2C-malines.-midnight>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    6
    hours
    50
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the 1916 poem "Out, Out—"?
    A Robert Browning
    B Robert Frost
    C Elinor Frost
    D Emily Dickinson