Analysis of Elf Shot

James McIntyre 1828 (Forres) – 1906



A lad, brought up in Highland vale,
Who did believe each fairy tale
Which his granney oft to him told,
And of witches and of warlocks bold,
And he himself would often pore
For hours reading wizard lore.
One night his mother to the town
In a hurry sent him down,
So o'er his poney he did stride,
And to the town did fearful ride;
He thought that demons they would rush
On him from every rock and bush,
And as he went through the quarry
It did great increase his flurry ;
He felt that fiends with fiercest hate
Would surely there seal fast his fate.
But town he reached, and neath his vest
He parcel pressed beneath his vest ;
The poney now he mounts once more
For to pass quarry as before,
But, alas ! at that fatal spot
He heard a gun-he was elf shot;
He felt that from his breast a flood
Was pouring down off his heart's blood,
But he clung fast to pony's back,
Though loss of blood his frame did rack ;
But in spite of his alarms
He resolved to die in mother's arms;
And when he reached his own door
He said that he was drenched in gore
From bullet hole all in his breast ;
His father opened up his vest,
And he did sadly fear the worst,
But found yeast bottle had but burst.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFGHHIIJJCCKKLLMMNNCCJJOO
Poetic Form
Metre 01110101 11011101 1111111 01100111 01011101 11010101 11110101 0010111 11011111 01011101 11110111 111100101 01111010 11101110 11111101 11011111 11110111 11010111 0111111 11110101 10111101 11011111 11111101 11011111 1111111 11111111 1011101 101110101 0111111 11111101 11011011 11010111 01110101 11110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,159
Words 233
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 34
Lines Amount 34
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 912
Words per stanza (avg) 236
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:11 min read
77

James McIntyre

James McIntyre, minstrel performer, vaudeville and theatrical actor, and a partner in the famous blackface tramp comedy duo act McIntyre and Heath. more…

All James McIntyre poems | James McIntyre Books

0 fans

Discuss this James McIntyre poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Elf Shot" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20309/elf-shot>.

    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
    10
    hours
    58
    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?

    »
    What are the first eight lines of a sonnet called?
    A octet
    B octopus
    C octane
    D octave