Analysis of Two Blind Men
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Two blind men met. Said one: "This earth
Has been a blackout from my birth.
Through darkness I have groped my way,
Forlorn, unknowing night from day.
But you - though War destroyed your sight,
Still have your memories of Light,
And to allay your present pain
Can live your golden youth again."
Then said the second: "Aye, it's true,
It must seem magical to you
To know the shape of things that are,
A women's lips, a rose, a star.
But therein lies the hell of it;
Better my eyes had never lit
to love of bluebells in a wood,
Or daffodils in dancing mood.
"You do not know what you have lost,
But I, alas! can count the cost -
Than memories that goad and gall,
Far better not to see at all.
And as for love, you know it not,
For pity is our sorry lot.
So there you see my point of view:
'Tis I, my friend, who envy you.
And which was right still puzzles me:
Perhaps one should be blind to see.
Scheme | AABBCCXX DDEEFFXX XXGGHHDD II |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111111 1101111 11011111 01010111 11110111 11110011 01011101 11110101 11010111 11110011 11011111 01010101 10110111 10111101 1111001 1100101 11111111 11011101 11001101 11011111 01111111 110110101 11111111 11111101 01111101 01111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 875 |
Words | 181 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 2 |
Lines Amount | 26 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 168 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 89 Views
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