Analysis of The Spartan Boy
Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)
When I the memory repeat
Of the heroic actions great,
Which, in contempt of pain and death,
Were done by men who drew their breath
In ages past, I find no deed
That can in fortitude exceed
The noble boy, in Sparta bred,
Who in the temple ministered.
By the sacrifice he stands,
The lighted incense in his hands.
Through the smoking censer's lid
Dropped a burning coal, which slid
Into his sleeve, and passëd in
Between the folds even to the skin.
Dire was the pain which then he proved;
But not for this his sleeve he moved,
Or would the scorching ember shake
Out from the folds, lest it should make
Any confusion, or excite
Disturbance at the sacred rite.
But close he kept the burning coal,
Till it eat itself a hole
In his flesh. The standers by
Saw no sign, and heard no cry,
Of his pangs had no discerning,
Till they smelled the flesh a-burning.
All this he did in noble scorn,
And for he was a Spartan born.
Young student, who this story readest,
And with the same thy thoughts now feedest,
Thy weaker nerves might thee forbid
To do the thing the Spartan did;
Thy feebler heart could not sustain
Such dire extremity of pain.
But in this story thou mayst see,
What may useful prove to thee.
By his example thou wilt find,
That to the ingenuous mind
Shame can greater anguish bring
Than the body's suffering;
That pain is not the worst of ills,
Not when it the body kills;
That in fair religion's cause,
For thy country, or the laws,
When occasion due shall offer,
'Tis reproachful not to suffer.
If thou shouldst a soldier be,
And a wound should trouble thee,
If without the soldier's fame
Thou to chance shouldst owe a maim,
Do not for a little pain
On thy manhood bring a stain;
But to keep thy spirits whole,
Think on the Spartan and the coal.
Scheme | AXBBCCXA DDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM AAEENNOOPPLLQQXXRROOSSNNJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010001 10010101 10011101 01111111 01011111 1101001 01010101 100101 101011 01001011 101011 1010111 01110110 010110101 11011111 11111111 11010101 11011111 10010101 01010101 11110101 1110101 011011 1110111 11111010 11101010 11110101 01110101 11011101 01011111 11011101 11010101 1111101 11010011 10110111 1110111 11010111 11001001 1110101 1010100 11110111 1110101 1010101 1110101 10101110 111110 1110101 0011101 1010101 1111101 1110101 111101 1111101 11010001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,707 |
Words | 331 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 20, 26 |
Lines Amount | 54 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 456 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 110 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 20, 2023
- 1:40 min read
- 143 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Spartan Boy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5415/the-spartan-boy>.
Discuss this Charles Lamb poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In