Analysis of The Useless Ones
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
Poets should not reason:
Let them sing!
Argument is treason —
Bells should ring.
Statements none, nor questions;
Gnomic words.
Spirit-cries, suggestions,
Like the birds.
He may use deduction
Who must preach;
He may praise instruction
Who must teach;
But the poet duly
Fills his part
When the song bursts truly
From his heart.
For no purpose springing;
For no pelf:
He must do the singing
For itself.
Not in lines austerely
Let him build;
Not the surface merely
Let him gild.
Fearless, uninvited,
Like a spring.
Opal-words, inlighted,
Let him sing.
As the leaf grows sunward
Song must grow;
As the stream flows onward
Song must flow.
Useless? Ay, — for measure;
Roses die,
But their breath gives pleasure —
God knows why!
Scheme | ABAB CDCD AEAE FGFG BHBH FIFI XBGB JKJK LMLM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 101110 111 100110 111 101110 101 101010 101 111010 111 111010 111 101010 111 101110 111 111010 111 111010 101 10110 111 101010 111 10010 101 1011 111 101110 111 101110 111 101110 101 111110 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic dimeter |
Characters | 699 |
Words | 126 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 16 |
Words per line (avg) | 3 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 62 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 14 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 23, 2023
- 37 sec read
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"The Useless Ones" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22083/the-useless-ones>.
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