Analysis of Twelve Articles
Jonathan Swift 1667 (Dublin) – 1745 (Ireland)
I
LEST it may more quarrels breed,
I will never hear you read.
II
By disputing, I will never,
To convince you once endeavour.
III
When a paradox you stick to,
I will never contradict you.
IV
When I talk and you are heedless,
I will show no anger needless.
V
When your speeches are absurd,
I will ne'er object a word.
VI
When you furious argue wrong,
I will grieve and hold my tongue.
VII
Not a jest or humorous story
Will I ever tell before ye:
To be chidden for explaining,
When you quite mistake the meaning.
VIII
Never more will I suppose,
You can taste my verse or prose.
IX
You no more at me shall fret,
While I teach and you forget.
X
You shall never hear me thunder,
When you blunder on, and blunder.
XI
Show your poverty of spirit,
And in dress place all your merit;
Give yourself ten thousand airs:
That with me shall break no squares.
XII
Never will I give advice,
Till you please to ask me thrice:
Which if you in scorn reject,
'Twill be just as I expect.
Thus we both shall have our ends,
And continue special friends.
Scheme | AXX ABB ACC DEE DFF AXX DGGHH DEE EII EBB EJJEE EEEKK EE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 1111101 1110111 1 10101110 10111010 1 1010111 1110011 1 1110111 11111010 1 1110101 1111001 1 11100101 1110111 1 101110010 11101011 1111010 11101010 1 1011101 1111111 1 1111111 1110101 1 11101110 11101010 1 11100110 00111110 1011101 1111111 1 1011101 1111111 1110101 1111101 11111101 0010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 995 |
Words | 202 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 13 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 2 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 18 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 61 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 15 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:00 min read
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"Twelve Articles" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24346/twelve-articles>.
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