Analysis of Infirmities
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Because my teeth are feebly few
I cannot bolt my grub like you,
But have to chew and chew and chew
As you can see;
Yet every mouthful seems so good
I would not haste it if I could,
And so I salivate my food
With ecstasy.
Because my purse is poor in pence
I spend my dough with common-sense,
And live without the least pretence
In simple state;
The things I can't afford to buy
Might speed the day I have to die,
So pleased with poverty am I
And bless my fate.
Because my heart is growing tired,
No more by foolish passion fired,
Nor by ambitious hope inspired,
As in my youth,
I am content to sit and rest,
And prove the last of life's the best,
And ponder with a cheerful zest
Some saintly truth.
Because I cannot do the things
I used to, comfort round me clings,
And from the moil of market brings
Me rich release;
So welcome age with tranquil mind;
Even infirmities are kind,
And in our frailing we may find
Life's crown of peace.
Scheme | AAABCCXBDDBEFFFE GGGHIIIH JJJKLLLK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01111101 11011111 11110101 1111 11001111 11111111 0111011 1100 01111101 11111101 0101011 0101 01110111 11011111 11110011 0111 011111010 111101010 110101010 1011 11101101 01011101 01010101 1101 01110101 11110111 01011101 1101 11011101 10010011 00101111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 982 |
Words | 185 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 16, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 242 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 61 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 56 sec read
- 101 Views
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"Infirmities" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32186/infirmities>.
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