Analysis of Cup Couplets
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
Out of great wisdom, long stored up,
I would write me a rune of the Melbourne Cup.
Out of experience, grave and gay,
I would raise me a rhyme to the gala day.
With words of wisdom then let us begin;
For a many shall wager, but few shall win.
And first a warning: Go slow this trip,
For there's many a slip 'twixt the Cup and the tip.
And the sport of Kings, tho' it capture the town,
Is never for one with but half-a-crown.
For this oft is the tale of a Cup Day revel;
Dine with the gods and sup with the devil.
And this oft is the rule when the lucky man sups:
He is in on the Cup and he's on in his cups.
When the living is slow and the horse also
It doesn't much matter what pace you go.
When the living is slow and the horse is fast,
You may keep to a pace that is like to last.
When the living is fast and the horse is 'dead,'
There's the dickens to pay, and an aching head.
But, fast or slow, if you play the game
To the end, then the end is much the same.
So this is the motto to hold and to hug:
There is but one Cup; but there's many a mug.
And these be the sayings of Smug, the saint,
You may guess he's a grouch, but I wot he ain't.
So, out or in, if you still can grin,
Here's a glorious day to you, lose or win!
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGGHIIJJKKLLMMCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 11110110101 110100101 11110110101 1111011101 10101101111 010101111 111001101001 00111111001 1101111101 111101101110 1101011010 011101101011 110101011011 10101100110 1101101111 10101100111 11110111111 10101100111 10101101101 111111101 1011011101 11101011011 11111111001 0110101101 11110111111 111011111 10100111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,205 |
Words | 266 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 28 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 907 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 263 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 130 Views
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"Cup Couplets" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6280/cup-couplets>.
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