Analysis of The Caffer
Thomas Pringle 1789 (Blakelaw) – 1834
Lo! where he crouches by the cleugh's dark side,
Eyeing the farmer's lowing herds afar;
Impatient watching till the Evening Star
Lead forth the Twilight dim, that he may glide
Like panther to the prey. With freeborn pride
He scorns the herdsman, nor regards the scar
Of recent wound -- but burnishes for war
His assagai and targe of buffalo-hide.
He is a Robber? -- True; it is a strife
Between the black-skinned bandit and the white.
A Savage? -- Yes; though loth to aim at life,
Evil for evil fierce he doth requite.
A Heathen? -- Teach him, then, thy better creed,
Christian! if thou deserv'st that name indeed.
Scheme | ABBAABCADEDAFF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111110111 1001010101 0101010101 110111111 1101011101 110110101 11011111 11011101 1101011101 0101110001 0101111111 101101111 0101111101 101111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 615 |
Words | 112 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 472 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 110 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 87 Views
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"The Caffer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37114/the-caffer>.
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