Analysis of Ford O' Kabul River
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Kabul town's by Kabul river --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
There I lef' my mate for ever,
Wet an' drippin' by the ford.
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
There's the river up and brimmin', an' there's 'arf a squadron swimmin'
'Cross the ford o' Kabul river in the dark.
Kabul town's a blasted place --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
'Strewth I sha'n't forget 'is face
Wet an' drippin' by the ford!
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
Keep the crossing-stakes beside you, an' they will surely guide you
'Cross the ford o' Kabul river in the dark.
Kabul town is sun and dust --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
I'd ha' sooner drownded fust
'Stead of 'im beside the ford.
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
You can 'ear the 'orses threshin', you can 'ear the men a-splashin',
'Cross the ford o' Kabul river in the dark.
Kabul town was ours to take --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
I'd ha' left it for 'is sake --
'Im that left me by the ford.
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
It's none so bloomin' dry there; ain't you never comin' nigh there,
'Cross the ford o' Kabul river in the dark?
Kabul town'll go to hell --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
'Fore I see him 'live an' well --
'Im the best beside the ford.
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
Gawd 'elp 'em if they blunder, for their boots'll pull 'em under,
By the ford o' Kabul river in the dark.
Turn your 'orse from Kabul town --
Blow the bugle, draw the sword --
'Im an' 'arf my troop is down,
Down an' drownded by the ford.
Ford, ford, ford o' Kabul river,
Ford o' Kabul river in the dark!
There's the river low an' fallin', but it ain't no use o' callin'
'Cross the ford o' Kabul river in the dark.
Scheme | aBaBACdC eBeBACxC fBfbACdC gBgbACxC hBhbACac dBdbACdC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10111010 1010101 11111110 111101 11111010 111010001 10101011110101 10111010001 1010101 1010101 111110111 111101 11111010 111010001 101010111111011 10111010001 1011101 1010101 111011 1110101 11111010 111010001 1110111110101 10111010001 10111011 1010101 1111111 1111101 11111010 111010001 1111111110111 10111010001 101111 1010101 1111111 1010101 11111010 111010001 11111101111110 10111010001 1111101 1010101 1111111 111101 11111010 111010001 101011101111111 10111010001 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,915 |
Words | 365 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 218 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 61 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 30, 2023
- 1:53 min read
- 560 Views
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"Ford O' Kabul River" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33211/ford-o%27-kabul-river>.
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