Analysis of Crumbs To The Birds

Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)



A bird appears a thoughtless thing,
He's ever living on the wing,
And keeps up such a carolling,
That little else to do but sing
A man would guess had he.

No doubt he has his little cares,
And very hard he often fares,
The which so patiently he bears,
That, listening to those cheerful airs,
Who knows but he may be

In want of his next meal of seeds?
I think for that his sweet song pleads.
If so, his pretty art succeeds.
I'll scatter there among the weeds
All the small crumbs I see.


Scheme AAAAB CCCCB DDDDB
Poetic Form
Metre 01010101 11010101 011101 11011111 011111 11111101 01011101 01110011 110011101 111111 01111111 11111111 11110101 11010101 101111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 479
Words 98
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5
Lines Amount 15
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 125
Words per stanza (avg) 32
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

30 sec read
368

Charles Lamb

Charles Lamb was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764–1847). Friends with such literary luminaries as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, and William Hazlitt, Lamb was at the centre of a major literary circle in England. He has been referred to by E. V. Lucas, his principal biographer, as "the most lovable figure in English literature". more…

All Charles Lamb poems | Charles Lamb Books

1 fan

Discuss this Charles Lamb poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Crumbs To The Birds" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5335/crumbs-to-the-birds>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    11
    hours
    12
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who is the author of the poem "The Raven"?
    A Robert Frost
    B Langston Hughes
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Edgar Allan Poe