Analysis of A Song For Kilts



How grand the human race would be
     If every man would wear a kilt,
A flirt of Tartan finery,
     Instead of trousers, custom built!
Nay, do not think I speak to joke:
     (You know I'm not that kind of man),
I am convinced that all men folk.
     Should wear the costume of a Clan.

Imagine how it's braw and clean
     As in the wind it flutters free;
And so conducive to hygiene
     In its sublime simplicity.
No fool fly-buttons to adjust,--
     Wi' shanks and maybe buttocks bare;
Oh chiels, just take my word on trust,
     A bonny kilt's the only wear.

'Twill save a lot of siller too,
     (And here a canny Scotsman speaks),
For one good kilt will wear you through
     A half-a-dozen pairs of breeks.
And how it's healthy in the breeze!
     And how it swings with saucy tilt!
How lassies love athletic knees
     Below the waggle of a kilt!

True, I just wear one in my mind,
     Since sent to school by Celtic aunts,
When girls would flip it up behind,
     Until I begged for lowland pants.
But now none dare do that to me,
     And so I sing with lyric lilt,--
How happier the world would be
     If every male would wear a kilt!


Scheme ABABCDCD EAEAFGFG HIHIJBJB KLKLABAB
Poetic Form
Metre 11010111 110011101 01110100 01110101 11111111 11111111 11011111 11001101 01011101 10011101 0101011 01010100 11110101 11010101 11111111 01010101 11011101 01010101 11111111 01010111 01110001 01111101 1110101 0101101 11111011 11111101 11111101 0111111 11111111 01111101 11000111 110011101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,131
Words 212
Sentences 12
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 204
Words per stanza (avg) 52
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
122

Robert William Service

Robert William Service was a poet and writer sometimes referred to as the Bard of the Yukon He is best-known for his writings on the Canadian North including the poems The Shooting of Dan McGrew The Law of the Yukon and The Cremation of Sam McGee His writing was so expressive that his readers took him for a hard-bitten old Klondike prospector not the later-arriving bank clerk he actually was Robert William Service was born 16 January 1874 in Preston England but also lived in Scotland before emigrating to Canada in 1894 Service went to the Yukon Territory in 1904 as a bank clerk and became famous for his poems about this region which are mostly in his first two books of poetry He wrote quite a bit of prose as well and worked as a reporter for some time but those writings are not nearly as well known as his poems He travelled around the world quite a bit and narrowly escaped from France at the beginning of the Second World War during which time he lived in Hollywood California He died 11 September 1958 in France Incidentally he played himself in a movie called The Spoilers starring John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich more…

All Robert William Service poems | Robert William Service Books

7 fans

Discuss this Robert William Service poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Song For Kilts" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/31958/a-song-for-kilts>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Robert William Service

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    20
    hours
    39
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of the following was the last to evolve?
    A Dithyramb
    B Tragedy
    C Invective
    D Epic poetry