Analysis of The Pack-Saddle
La Fontaine 1621 (Château-Thierry, Champagne) – 1695 (Neuilly-sur-Seine, Île-de-France)
A FAMOUS painter, jealous of his wife;
Whose charms he valued more than fame or life,
When going on a journey used his art,
To paint an ASS upon a certain part,
(Umbilical, 'tis said) and like a seal:
Impressive token, nothing thence to steal.
A BROTHER brush, enamoured of the dame;
Now took advantage, and declared his flame:
The Ass effaced, but God knows how 'twas done;
Another soon howe'er he had begun,
And finished well, upon the very spot;
In painting, few more praises ever got;
But want of recollection made him place
A saddle, where before he none could trace.
THE husband, when returned, desired to look
At what he drew, when leave he lately took.
Yes, see my dear, the wily wife replied,
The Ass is witness, faithful I abide.
Zounds! said the painter, when he got a sight,--
What!--you'd persuade me ev'ry thing is right?
I wish the witness you display so well,
And him who saddled it, were both in Hell.
Scheme | AABBCC DDEEFFGG HHIIJJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101010111 1111011111 1101010111 1111010101 0100110101 0101010111 01011101 1101000111 011111111 0101101101 0101010101 0101110101 111010111 0101011111 01010101011 1111111101 1111010101 0111010101 1101011101 110111111 1101010111 0111010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 905 |
Words | 171 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 234 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 56 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 53 Views
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"The Pack-Saddle" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25374/the-pack-saddle>.
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