Analysis of The Latest Decalogue

Arthur Hugh Clough 1819 (Liverpool) – 1861 (Florence)



Thou shalt have one God only; who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipp'd, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is, all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When it's so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet; but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ
Poetic Form Etheree  (35%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11111101 11100111 11010011 10010100 11111111 11001101 1111101 11110111 1110111 11010101 111111111 11101 11010001 01010111 11111101 11110011 11110101 11111111 111101010 01111010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 654
Words 124
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 519
Words per stanza (avg) 122
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 21, 2023

38 sec read
174

Arthur Hugh Clough

Arthur Hugh Clough was an English poet, an educationalist, and the devoted assistant to ground-breaking nurse Florence Nightingale. more…

All Arthur Hugh Clough poems | Arthur Hugh Clough Books

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