Analysis of Intangible Tigers
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
There's a moral in this: tho' I own that the preaching
Of moral and maxim in season and out
Grows stale; yet these days of depressions far-reaching
Demand any means to put worry to rout.
So in that menagerie now populated
By home-coming chickens and wolves upon mats
Consider, when finally doubt's dissipated
How often our tigers turn out to be cats.
Three-fourths of our troubles some Frenchman has told us,
But seldom occur. Tho' the ills of the mind
Loom forth as fierce tigers while doubts yet unfold us,
They turn into cats once we've put them behind.
How often the dread of some darkened tomorrow
Has ruined today; till, at Time's urgent call,
Tomorrow's false fears become yester's small sorrow
Innocuous cats, and not tigers at all.
So, here is the moral - just take it or leave it.
It doesn't much matter, you'll scorn it, no doubt.
Yet here is a truth and, if men don't receive it
I've still done my duty in pointing it out.
False troubles, false tigers engender false fearing;
So use the grey matter close under your hat
And, as you fare forth thro' life's dark forests peering,
Go armed against tigers - but still expect cats.
Scheme | ABABXCXC DEDEFGFG HBHBAXAC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1010011111010 11001001001 111111010110 01101111011 10101001100 11101001011 01011001100 110101011111 1111010110111 11001101101 111110111011 11011111101 11001111001 11001111101 0111011110 01001011011 111010111111 11011011111 111010111011 11111001011 110110010110 11011011011 011111111010 11011011011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,126 |
Words | 207 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 296 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 69 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 29 Views
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