Analysis of The Heavy Dragoon
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
If you want a receipt for that popular mystery,
Known to the world as a Heavy Dragoon,
Take all the remarkable people in history,
Rattle them off to a popular tune!
The pluck of LORD NELSON on board of the VICTORY -
Genius of BISMARCK devising a plan;
The humour of FIELDING (which sounds contradictory) -
Coolness of PAGET about to trepan -
The grace of MOZART, that unparalleled musico -
Wit of MACAULAY, who wrote of QUEEN ANNE -
The pathos of PADDY, as rendered by BOUCICAULT -
Style of the BISHOP OF SODOR AND MAN -
The dash of a D'ORSAY, divested of quackery -
Narrative powers of DICKENS and THACKERAY -
VICTOR EMMANUEL - peak-haunting PEVERIL -
THOMAS AQUINAS, and DOCTOR SACHEVERELL -
TUPPER and TENNYSON - DANIEL DEFOE -
ANTHONY TROLLOPE and MISTER GUIZOT!
Take of these elements all that is fusible,
Melt 'em all down in a pipkin or crucible,
Set 'em to simmer and take off the scum,
And a Heavy Dragoon is the residuum!
If you want a receipt for this soldierlike paragon,
Get at the wealth of the CZAR (if you can) -
The family pride of a Spaniard from Arragon -
Force of MEPHISTO pronouncing a ban -
A smack of LORD WATERFORD, reckless and rollicky -
Swagger of RODERICK, heading his clan -
The keen penetration of PADDINGTON POLLAKY -
Grace of an Odalisque on a divan -
The genius strategic of CAESAR or HANNIBAL -
Skill of LORD WOLSELEY in thrashing a cannibal -
Flavour of HAMLET - the STRANGER, a touch of him -
Little of MANFRED (but not very much of him) -
Beadle of Burlington - RICHARDSON'S show -
MR. MICAWBER and MADAME TUSSAUD!
Take of these elements all that is fusible -
Melt 'em all down in a pipkin or crucible -
Set 'em to simmer and take off the scum,
And a Heavy Dragoon is the residuum!
Scheme | ababababcbdbaaeefdEEGG bbbbcbcbeehhfdEEGG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11100111100100 110110101 1100100100100 1011101001 0111101110100 101101001 01110110100 101100111 0111010101 1101011111 01011011011 110101101 011010101100 100101100100 1001001101 100100101 1001001001 10010101 111100111100 111100101100 1111001101 00101101 11100111110 1101101111 01001101011 11101001 01111001001 101101011 0101011001 11111001 0100101101100 11110100100 11100100111 101101110111 1011001001 1010101 111100111100 111100101100 1111001101 00101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,687 |
Words | 325 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 22, 18 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 665 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 162 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 28, 2023
- 1:38 min read
- 179 Views
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"The Heavy Dragoon" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41300/the-heavy-dragoon>.
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