Analysis of The Slave Boy's Wish



I wish I was that little bird,
Up in the bright blue sky,
That sings and flies just where he will,
And no one asks him why.
I wish I was that little brook,
That runs so swift along,
Through pretty flowers and shining stones,
Singing a merry song.
I wish I was that butterfly,
Without a thought or care,
Sporting my pretty, brilliant wings,
Like a flower in the air.
I wish I was that wild, wild deer,
I saw the other day,
Who swifter than an arrow flew,
Through the forest far away.
I wish I was that little cloud,
By the gentle south wind driven,
Floating along so free and bright,
Far, far up into heaven.
I'd rather be a cunning fox,
And hide me in a cave;
I'd rather be a savage wolf,
Than what I am-a slave.
My mother calls me her good boy,
My father calls me brave;
What wicked action have I done,
That I should be a slave?
I saw my little sister sold,
So will they do to me;
My heavenly Father, let me die,
For then I shall be free.


Scheme ABCBDEFEBGHGIJKJLMNMOPQPRPMPSTBT
Poetic Form
Metre 11111101 100111 11011111 011111 11111101 111101 110100101 100101 1111110 010111 10110101 1010001 11111111 110101 11011101 1010101 11111101 10101110 10011101 1110110 11010101 011001 11010101 111101 11011011 110111 11010111 111101 11110101 111111 110010111 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 916
Words 192
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 32
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 711
Words per stanza (avg) 190
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
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