Analysis of Lorraine

Charles Kingsley 1819 – 1875



“ARE you ready for your steeplechase, Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorree?  
 Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Baree.  
You’re booked to ride your capping race to-day at Coulterlee,  
You’re booked to ride Vindictive, for all the world to see,  
To keep him straight, and keep him first, and win the run for me.”  
 Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Baree.  

She clasp’d her newborn baby, poor Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorrèe,  
 Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, Baree.  
“I cannot ride Vindictive, as any man might see,  
And I will not ride Vindictive, with this baby on my knee;
He ’s kill’d a boy, he ’s kill’d a man, and why must he kill me?”  

“Unless you ride Vindictive, Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorree,  
Unless you ride Vindictive to-day at Coulterlee,  
And land him safe across the brook, and win the blank for me,  
It ’s you may keep your baby, for you ’ll get no keep from me.”

“That husbands could be cruel,” said Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorrèe,  
“That husbands could be cruel, I have known for seasons three;  
But oh, to ride Vindictive while a baby cries for me,  
And be kill’d across a fence at last for all the world to see!”  

She master’d young Vindictive—O, the gallant lass was she!
And kept him straight and won the race as near as near could be;  
But he kill’d her at the brook against a pollard willow tree;  
Oh! he kill’d her at the brook, the brute, for all the world to see,  
And no one but the baby cried for poor Lorraine, Lorree.


Scheme aAbccA cAccc abcc cacc ccaca
Poetic Form
Metre 1110111001011 1111111 111111011111 1111010110111 11110111010111 1111111 11010101010111 1111111 1101010110111 011110101110111 1110111101011111 011101001011 01110101111 01110101010111 1111111011111111 11011101010111 11011101111101 11110101010111 011010111110111 1110101010111 01110101111111 11101010101011 111010101110111 0111010111011
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,511
Words 266
Sentences 12
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 5, 4, 4, 5
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 45
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 214
Words per stanza (avg) 52
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:19 min read
57

Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley was a priest of the Church of England, a university professor, historian and novelist. more…

All Charles Kingsley poems | Charles Kingsley Books

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