Analysis of The Homicide
They say she speeded wanton wild
When she was warm with wine;
And so she killed a little child,
(Could have been yours or mine).
The Judge's verdict was not mild,
And heavy was the fine.
And yet I see her driving still,
But maybe with more care . . .
Oh I should hate a child to kill
With vine leaves in my hair;
I think that I should grieve until
Life was too bleak to bear.
I think that I would see each day
That child in beauty grow.
How she would haunt me in her play.
And I would watch her go
To School a-dancing on her way,
With gladness all aglow!
And then one day I might believe,
With angel eyes ashine,
She'd say to me: 'Please do not grieve,
Maybe the fault was mine.
Take heart,--to Heaven's comfort cleave,
For am I not divine!'
I think I know how I would feel
If I a child should slay;
The rest of living I would kneel
And for God's pity pray . . .
Madam, I saw you at the wheel
Of your new car today.
Scheme | ABABAB CDCDCD EFEFEF GBGBGB HEHEHE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11110101 111111 01110101 111111 01010111 010101 01110101 110111 11110111 111011 11111101 111111 11111111 110101 11111001 011101 11010101 11101 01111101 11011 11111111 100111 11110101 111101 11111111 110111 01110111 011101 10111101 111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 969 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 137 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 67 Views
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"The Homicide" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32557/the-homicide>.
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