Analysis of Our Rampant Coat-Of-Arms

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)



The Lion and the Unicorn
Of England's Coat-of-Arms
Seldom make bold, so we are told,
To ravage English farms.
In fact, 'tis said by travellers
Who lately have been there,
That lions hardly ever roam
About the dales and dells at Home,
And unicorns are rare.

But in this topsy-turvy land
Where often - inter alia
Strange forms of bird, in ways absurd,
 Are grafted to mammalia.
And beasts have bills to fit the goose,
Our crazy Coat-of-Arms breaks loose
To roam at night and play the deuce
'Mid farmers in Australia.

The Lion and the Unicorn
Stay put and emplematic;
But kangaroos bluntly refuse
To function, staid and static.
And emus stray to ruin farms,
Raising excursions and alarms;
Which proves such things, on Coats-of-Arms
Are plainly too erratic.

Far better chain them to the shield
Like unicorns in Britain.
Else, by what chance may we 'advance'
As in the motto written?
If not, and they get out of hand,
Before the nations we must stand
Ever a topsy-turvy land
By its own emblem smitten.


Scheme Abxbxcddc efxfgggf Ahxhbbbh xixieeei
Poetic Form
Metre 0100010 110111 10111111 110101 01111100 110111 11010101 01010111 0111 10110101 110011 11110101 11011 01111101 101011111 11110101 1100010 0100010 1101 1011001 1101010 0111101 10010001 11111111 1101010 11011101 11010 11111101 1001010 11011111 01010111 10010101 1111010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 973
Words 178
Sentences 10
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 9, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 195
Words per stanza (avg) 44
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

53 sec read
99

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he had collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets. While attributed to Lawson by 1911, Dennis later claimed he himself was the 'laureate of the larrikin'. When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the 'Australian Robert Burns'. more…

All Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis poems | Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis Books

1 fan

Discuss this Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Our Rampant Coat-Of-Arms" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6512/our-rampant-coat-of-arms>.

    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
    20
    hours
    35
    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 Edgar Allan Poe
    D Emily Dickinson