Analysis of The Married Man
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Reservist of the Line
The bachelor 'e fights for one
As joyful as can be;
But the married man don't call it fun,
Because 'e fights for three --
For 'Im an' 'Er an' It
(An' Two an' One make Three)
'E wants to finish 'is little bit,
An' e' wants to go 'ome to is tea!
The bachelor pokes up 'is 'ead
To see if you are gone;
But the married man lies down instead,
An' waits till the sights come on,
For 'im an' 'Er an' a hit
(Direct or recochee)
'E wants to finish 'is little bit,
An' 'e wants to go 'ome to 'is tea.
The bachelor will miss you clear
To fight another day;
But the married man, 'e says "No fear!"
'E wants you out of the way
Of 'Im an' 'Er an' It
(An' 'is road to 'is farm or the sea),
'E wants to finish 'is little bit,
An' 'e wants to go 'ome to 'is tea.
The bachelor 'e fights 'is fight
An' streches out an' snores;
But the married man sits up all night --
For 'e don't like out-o'-doors.
'E'll strain an' listen an' peer
An' give the first alarm--
For the sake o' the breathin' 'e's used to 'ear,
An' the 'ead on the thick of 'is arm.
The bachelor may risk 'is 'ide
To 'elp you when you're downed;
But the married man will wait beside
Till the ambulance comes round.
'E'll take your 'ome address
An' all you've time to say,
Or if 'e sees there's 'ope, 'e'll press
Your art'ry 'alf the day --
For 'Im an' 'Er an' It
(An' One from Three leaves Two),
For 'e knows you wanted to finish your bit,
An' 'e knows 'oo's wantin' you.
Yes, 'Im an' 'Er an' It
(Our 'only One in Three),
We're all of us anxious to finish our bit,
An' we want to get 'ome to our tea!
Yes, It an' 'Er an' 'Im,
Which often makes me think
The married man must sink or swim
An' -- 'e can't afford to sink!
Oh, 'Im an' It an' 'Er
Since Adam an' Eve began!
So I'd rather fight with the bacheler
An' be nursed by the married man!
Scheme | x ababCbCb cxxxcxCB dedecbCB fgfgdhxh ijijgege Ckckcbcb lmlmxndn |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010101 01001111 110111 101011111 011111 111111 111111 111101101 111111111 01001111 111111 101011101 1110111 1111101 0111 111101101 111111111 01001111 110101 101011111 1111101 111111 111111101 111101101 111111111 01001111 11111 101011111 1111111 1111011 110101 1011011111 101101111 01001111 111111 101011101 1010011 11111 111111 11111111 11101 111111 111111 11111011011 111111 111111 1010101 111110110101 1111111101 111111 110111 01011111 1110111 111111 1101101 11101101 11110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,758 |
Words | 378 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 57 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 158 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 47 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 1:57 min read
- 205 Views
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"The Married Man" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33494/the-married-man>.
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