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 Views
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"The Latest Decalogue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3898/the-latest-decalogue>.
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