Analysis of Instans Tyrannus
Robert Browning 1812 (Camberwell) – 1889 (Venice)
Of the million or two, more or less,
I rule and possess,
One man, for some cause undefined,
Was least to my mind.
I struck him, he grovelled of course---
For, what was his force?
I pinned him to earth with my weight
And persistence of hate:
And he lay, would not moan, would not curse,
As his lot might be worse.
``Were the object less mean, would he stand
``At the swing of my hand!
``For obscurity helps him and blots
``The hole where he squats.''
So, I set my five wits on the stretch
To inveigle the wretch.
All in vain! Gold and jewels I threw,
Still he couched there perdue;
I tempted his blood and his flesh,
Hid in roses my mesh,
Choicest cates and the flagon's best spilth:
Still he kept to his filth.
Had he kith now or kin, were access
To his heart, did I press:
Just a son or a mother to seize!
No such booty as these.
Were it simply a friend to pursue
'Mid my million or two,
Who could pay me in person or pelf
What he owes me himself!
No: I could not but smile through my chafe:
For the fellow lay safe
As his mates do, the midge and the nit,
---Through minuteness, to wit.
Then a humour more great took its place
At the thought of his face,
The droop, the low cares of the mouth,
The trouble uncouth
'Twixt the brows, all that air one is fain
To put out of its pain.
And, ``no!'' I admonished myself,
``Is one mocked by an elf,
``Is one baffled by toad or by rat?
``The gravamen's in that!
``How the lion, who crouches to suit
``His back to my foot,
``Would admire that I stand in debate!
``But the small turns the great
``If it vexes you,---that is the thing!
``Toad or rat vex the king?
``Though I waste half my realm to unearth
``Toad or rat, 'tis well worth!''
So, I soberly laid my last plan
To extinguish the man.
Round his creep-hole, with never a break
Ran my fires for his sake;
Over-head, did my thunder combine
With my underground mine:
Till I looked from my labour content
To enjoy the event.
When sudden ... how think ye, the end?
Did I say ``without friend''?
Say rather, from marge to blue marge
The whole sky grew his targe
With the sun's self for visible boss,
While an Arm ran across
Which the earth heaved beneath like a breast
Where the wretch was safe prest!
Do you see? Just my vengeance complete,
The man sprang to his feet,
Stood erect, caught at God's skirts, and prayed!
---So, _I_ was afraid!
Scheme | AABB CCDDEE FFGGHHIIJJKK AALLIIMMMMNN OOKKPPMMQQXXDDRRKK SSTTUUVV WWXXXXYYZZ1 1 |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101011111 11001 1111101 11111 1111111 11111 11111111 001011 011111111 111111 001011111 101111 101001101 01111 111111101 1101 101101011 111101 11011011 101011 10100111 111111 11111101 111111 101101011 111011 011001101 111011 111101011 111101 111111111 101011 111101001 1111 10111111 101111 01011101 01011 101111111 111111 0110101 111111 111011111 0101 10101111 11111 101111001 101101 11111101 111101 111111101 111111 111001111 101001 111111001 1110111 101111010 11101 11111110 101001 11011101 11111 11011111 011111 101111001 111101 101101101 101111 111111001 011111 101111101 11101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,300 |
Words | 465 |
Sentences | 37 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 6, 12, 12, 18, 8, 12 |
Lines Amount | 72 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 253 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 65 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 07, 2023
- 2:19 min read
- 141 Views
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"Instans Tyrannus" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/30367/instans-tyrannus>.
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