Analysis of The Darned Mounseer
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
I shipped, d'ye see, in a Revenue sloop,
And, off Cape Finisteere,
A merchantman we see,
A Frenchman, going free,
So we made for the bold Mounseer,
D'ye see?
We made for the bold Mounseer!
But she proved to be a Frigate - and she up with her ports,
And fires with a thirty-two!
It come uncommon near,
But we answered with a cheer,
Which paralysed the Parley-voo,
D'ye see?
Which paralysed the Parley-voo!
Then our Captain he up and he says, says he,
"That chap we need not fear, -
We can take her, if we like,
She is sartin for to strike,
For she's only a darned Mounseer,
D'ye see?
She's only a darned Mounseer!
But to fight a French fal-lal - it's like hittin' of a gal -
It's a lubberly thing for to do;
For we, with all our faults,
Why, we're sturdy British salts,
While she's but a Parley-voo,
D'ye see?
A miserable Parley-voo!"
So we up with our helm, and we scuds before the breeze,
As we gives a compassionating cheer;
Froggee answers with a shout
As he sees us go about,
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer,
D'ye see?
Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer!
And I'll wager in their joy they kissed each other's cheek
(Which is what them furriners do),
And they blessed their lucky stars
We were hardy British tars
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo,
D'ye see?
Who had pity on a poor Parley-voo!
Scheme | xabaaBaxcaaDBD baeeaBaxcffdBd xaggABAxcxbDBD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111100101 0111 0111 010101 1111011 111 111011 11111010011101 01010101 110101 1110101 110101 111 110101 110101101111 111111 1110111 1110111 1110011 111 110011 1110111111101 1011111 1111101 1110101 1110101 111 01000101 11111010110101 111011 110101 1111101 11101011 111 11101011 0110011111101 111111 0111101 1010101 1110101101 111 1110101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,274 |
Words | 251 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 14, 14, 14 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 327 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 83 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 23, 2023
- 1:19 min read
- 149 Views
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"The Darned Mounseer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41283/the-darned-mounseer>.
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