Analysis of Only A Soldier's Grave



Only a soldier's grave! Pass by,
For soldiers, like other mortals, die.
Parents had he - they are far away;
No sister weeps o'er the soldier's clay;
No brother comes, with tearful eye;
It's only a soldier's grave - pass by.

True, he was loving, and young, and brave,
Though no glowing epitaph honors his grave;
No proud recital of virtues known,
Of griefs endured, or triumphs won;
No tablet of marble, or obelisk high; -
Only a soldier's grave: - pass by.

Yet bravely he wielded his sword in fight,
And he gave his life in the cause of right!
When his hope was high, and his youthful dream
As warm as the sunlight on yonder stream;
His heart unvexed by sorrow or sigh; -
Yet, 'tis only a soldier's grave: - pass by.

Yet, we should mark it - the soldier's grave,
Some one may seek him in hope to save!
Some of the dear ones, far away,
Would bear him home to his native clay:
'Twere sad, indeed, should they wander nigh,
Find not the hillock, and pass him by.


Scheme AABBAA CCXXAA DDEEAA CCBBAA
Poetic Form
Metre 10010111 110110101 101111101 1101100101 11011101 110010111 111100101 1110101011 110101101 11011101 110110111 10010111 1101101101 0111100111 1111101101 111011101 11111011 1110010111 111110101 111110111 11011101 111111101 110111101 110100111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 943
Words 185
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 180
Words per stanza (avg) 46
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

57 sec read
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