Analysis of Cold Iron
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid --
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.
"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of them all."
So he made rebellion 'gainst the King his liege,
Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
"Nay!" said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- shall be master of you all!"
Woe for the Baron and his knights so strong,
When the cruel cannon-balls laid 'em all along;
He was taken prisoner, he was cast in thrall,
And Iron -- Cold Iron -- was master of it all!
Yet his King spake kindly (ah, how kind a Lord!)
"What if I release thee now and give thee back thy sword?"
"Nay!" said the Baron, "mock not at my fall,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all."
Tears are for the craven, prayers are for the clown --
Halters for the silly neck that cannot keep a crown.
"As my loss is grievous, so my hope is small,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"
Yet his King made answer (few such Kings there be!)
"Here is Bread and here is Wine -- sit and sup with me.
Eat and drink in Mary's Name, the whiles I do recall
How Iron -- Cold Iron -- can be master of men all!"
He took the Wine and blessed it. He blessed and brake the Bread,
With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said:
"See! These Hands they pierced with nails, outside My city wall,
Show Iron -- Cold Iron -- to be master of men all."
"Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong.
Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.
I forgive thy treason -- I redeem thy fall --
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"
Crowns are for the valiant -- sceptres for the bold!
Thrones and powers for mighty men who dare to take and hold.
"Nay!" said the Baron, kneeling in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all!
Iron out of Calvary is master of men all!"
Scheme | aabb ccbb ddbb eebb ffbB ggbb hhbb ddbB iibbb |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101010101 10101010111 1101010011 110110110111 11101010111 101110010111 110110101 1101101110111 1101001111 101010111101 111010011101 010110110111 11111011101 1110111011111 1101011111 110110110111 11101011101 1010101110101 11111011111 1101101110111 11111011111 111011110111 101010101111 1101101110111 1101011110101 1111111010011 1111111111101 1101101110111 11101011101 1011101110111 10111010111 1101101110111 1110101101 10101101111101 1101010011 110110110111 1011100110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,881 |
Words | 402 |
Sentences | 28 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 155 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 04, 2023
- 1:57 min read
- 783 Views
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"Cold Iron" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33179/cold-iron>.
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