Analysis of The Suicide's Grave
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
On a tree by a river a little tomtit
Sang "Willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
And I said to him, "Dicky-bird, why do you sit
Singing 'Willow, titwillow, titwillow'?
Is it weakness of intellect, birdie?" I cried,
"Or a rather tough worm in your little inside?"
With a shake of his poor little head he replied,
"Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
He slapped at his chest, as he sat on that bough,
Singing "Willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
And a cold perspiration bespangled his brow,
Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!
He sobbed and he sighed, and a gurgle he gave,
Then he threw himself into the billowy wave,
And an echo arose from the suicide's grave -
"Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
Now I feel just as sure as I'm sure that my name
Isn't Willow, titwillow, titwillow,
That 'twas blighted affection that made him exclaim,
"Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
And if you remain callous and obdurate, I
Shall perish as he did, and you will know why,
Though I probably shall not exclaim as I die,
"Oh, willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
Scheme | abaBaaaB cBcBdddB ebeBffaB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10110100101 1111 011111011111 10111 11101101011 101011011001 101111101101 1111 11111111111 10111 001010111 1111 11011001011 1110101011 0110011011 1111 111111111111 10111 111001011101 1111 011011001001 11011101111 111001101111 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,012 |
Words | 184 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 260 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 58 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 17, 2023
- 53 sec read
- 153 Views
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"The Suicide's Grave" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41334/the-suicide%27s-grave>.
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