Analysis of The Philosopher and the Philanthropist
James Kenneth Stephen 1859 (London) – 1892
Searching an infinite Where,
Probing a bottomless When,
Dreamfully wandering,
Ceaselessly pondering,
What is the Wherefore of men:
Bartering life for a There,
Selling his soul for a Then,
Baffling obscurity,
Conning futurity,
Usefulest, wisest of men!
Grasping the Present of Life,
Seizing a definite Now,
Labouring thornfully,
Banishing scornfully
Doubts of his Whither and How:
Spending his substance in Strife,
Working a practical How,
Letting obscurity
Rest on futurity,
Usefuler, wiser, I trow.
| Scheme | ABCCBABDDBEFGGFEFDDH |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Etheree (20%) |
| Metre | 1011001 1001001 1100 100100 110111 1001101 1011101 1000100 101 11011 1001011 1001001 11 1001 1111001 1011001 1001001 100100 111 11011 |
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 535 |
| Words | 76 |
| Sentences | 3 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 20 |
| Lines Amount | 20 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 20 |
| Words per line (avg) | 4 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 405 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 22 sec read
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"The Philosopher and the Philanthropist" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20216/the-philosopher-and-the-philanthropist>.
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