Analysis of Is Life a Boon
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
Is life a boon?
If so, it must befall
That Death, whene'er he call,
Must call too soon.
Though fourscore years he give
Yet one would pray to live
Another moon!
What kind of plaint have I,
Who perish in July?
I might have had to die
Perchance in June!
Is life a thorn?
Then count it not a whit!
Man is well done with it;
Soon as he's born
He should all means essay
To put the plague away;
And I, war-worn,
Poor captured fugitive,
My life most gladly give -
I might have had to live
Another morn!
Scheme | ABBACDAEEEA FGGFHHFCCDF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101 111101 11111 1111 11111 111111 0101 111111 11001 111111 0101 1101 111101 111111 1111 111101 110101 0111 110100 111101 111111 0101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 481 |
Words | 102 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 11 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 17 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 187 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 50 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 89 Views
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"Is Life a Boon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41236/is-life-a-boon>.
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