Analysis of An Orator’s Complaint
Robert Fuller Murray 1863 – 1894
How many the troubles that wait
On mortals!—especially those
Who endeavour in eloquent prose
To expound their views, and orate.
Did you ever attempt to speak
When you hadn't a word to say?
Did you find that it wouldn't pay,
And subside, feeling dreadfully weak?
Did you ever, when going ahead
In a fervid defence of the Stage,
Get checked in your noble rage
By somehow losing your thread?
Did you ever rise to reply
To a toast (say 'The Volunteers'),
And evoke loud laughter and cheers,
When you didn't exactly know why?
Did you ever wax witty, and when
You had smashed an opponent quite small,
Did he seem not to mind it at all,
But get up and smash you again?
If any or all of these things
Have happened to you (as to me),
I think you'll be found to agree
With yours truly, when sadly he sings:
'How many the troubles that wait
On mortals!—especially those
Who endeavour in eloquent prose
To expound their views, and orate.'
Scheme | ABBA cddc effe ghhg ijji kllk ABBA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 11001011 1100101 101001001 1011101 11100111 11100111 11111101 001101001 111011001 001001101 1101101 111011 11101101 1011001 00111001 111001011 111011001 111101011 111111111 11101101 11011111 11011111 11111101 111011011 11001011 1100101 101001001 1011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 911 |
Words | 176 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 103 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 24 Views
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