Analysis of Fortune Of War
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)
NOUGHT more accursed in war I know
Than getting off scot-free;
Inured to danger, on we go
In constant victory;
We first unpack, then pack again,
With only this reward,
That when we're marching, we complain,
And when in camp, are bor'd.
The time for billeting comes next,--
The peasant curses it;
Each nobleman is sorely vex'd,
'Tis hated by the cit.
Be civil, bad though be thy food,
The clowns politely treat;
If to our hosts we're ever rude,
Jail-bread we're forced to eat.
And when the cannons growl around,
And small arms rattle clear,
And trumpet, trot, and drum resound,
We merry all appear;
And as it in the fight may chance,
We yield, then charge amain,
And now retire, and now advance,
And yet a cross ne'er gain.
At length there comes a musket-ball,
And hits the leg, please Heaven;
And then our troubles vanish all,
For to the town we're driven,
(Well cover'd by the victor's force,)
Where we in wrath first came,--
The women, frightened then, of course,
Are loving now and tame.
Cellar and heart are open'd wide,
The cook's allow'd no rest;
While beds with softest down supplied
Are by our members press'd.
The nimble lads upon us wait,
No sleep the hostess takes
Her shift is torn in pieces straight,--
What wondrous lint it makes!
If one has tended carefully
The hero's wounded limb,
Her neighbour cannot rest, for she
Has also tended him.
A third arrives in equal haste,
At length they all are there,
And in the middle he is placed
Of the whole band so fair!
On good authority the king
Hears how we love the fight,
And bids them cross and ribbon bring,
Our coat and breast to dight.
Say if a better fate can e'er
A son of Mars pursue!
'Midst tears at length we go from there,
Beloved and honour'd too.
Scheme | A BA BX CD C E XE CF GF G H IH IJ AJ D K LK LM NM N O PO PQ RQ R B SB ST UT U V XV CX WU W |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110111 110111 01110111 010100 11011101 110101 11110101 010111 011111 010101 11001101 110101 11011111 010101 111011101 111111 01010101 011101 0101011 110101 01100111 11111 01010101 010111 11110101 0101110 011010101 1101110 11010101 110111 01010111 110101 10011101 010111 11110101 1110101 01010111 110101 01110101 110111 11110100 010101 0110111 110101 01010101 111111 00010111 101111 11010001 111101 01110101 1010111 110101110 011101 11111111 01011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,669 |
Words | 321 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 35 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1 |
Lines Amount | 56 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 38 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 9 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:41 min read
- 81 Views
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"Fortune Of War" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21660/fortune-of-war>.
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