Analysis of The Scissors-Grinder
The old man had his box and wheel
For grinding knives and shears.
No doubt his bell in village streets
Was joy to children's ears.
And I bethought me of my youth
When such men came around,
And times I asked them in, quite sure
The scissors should be ground.
The old man turned and spoke to me,
His face at last in view.
And then I thought those curious eyes
Were eyes that once I knew.
"The moon is but an emery-wheel
To whet the sword of God,"
He said. "And here beside my fire
I stretch upon the sod.
Each night, and dream, and watch the stars
And watch the ghost-clouds go.
And see that sword of God in Heaven
A-waving to and fro.
I see that sword each century, friend.
It means the world-war comes
With all its bloody, wicked chiefs
And hate-inflaming drums.
Men talk of peace, but I have seen
That emery-wheel turn round.
The voice of Abel cries again
To God from out the ground.
The ditches must flow red, the plague
Go stark and screaming by
Each time that sword of God takes edge
Within the midnight sky.
And those that scorned their brothers here
And sowed a wind of shame
Will reap the whirlwind as of old
And face relentless flame."
And thus the scissors-grinder spoke,
His face at last in view.
And there beside the railroad bridge
I saw the wandering Jew.
Scheme | axxxxbxbxCxc adxdxexe xfxfxbxbxgxgxhxh xCxc |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 01111101 110101 11110101 111101 0111111 111101 01111011 010111 01110111 111101 011111001 011111 011111001 110111 110101110 110101 11010101 010111 011111010 010101 111111001 110111 11110101 010101 11111111 1100111 01110101 111101 01011101 110101 11111111 01011 01111101 010111 1101111 010101 01010101 111101 0101011 1101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,238 |
Words | 245 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 8, 16, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 247 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 60 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:13 min read
- 116 Views
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"The Scissors-Grinder" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37397/the-scissors-grinder>.
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