Analysis of The Eastern Shrike-Tit
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
I am brightly alert and exceedingly pert,
And my livery's easily seen;
With a bright golden breast and a black-and-white crest,
And a back of indefinite green.
A conspicuous bird; and, I give you my word,
I am neither incautious nor shy.
Native wit may be read in the cock of my head
And the glint in my shrewd little eye.
'Ho, knock at the door, knock at the door,'
I shout from the top of a tree.
The Bushland's soprano, but never 'piano':
'Fortissimo' ever for me.
But my repertoire's long; and I've many a song,
When Spring is abroad in the land;
And, whatever my call, 'tis the clearest of all,
And as sweet as the best in the band.
I take life with zest; and, when building my nest,
Then the scientist wakens in me.
I work with a will, with my stout little bill,
And I peel the green bark from a tree.
Then I wait, when that's done, till the heat of the sun
Curls a neat little hook at the end;
So, when woven and bound, there's a home, strong and sonud,
On which any wise bird can depend.
Ho, cheery and bright, with a heart ever light,
I sing to the joy of the day;
And my toil, high above, is a labor of love,
For I turn every task into play.
With my confident air, I am here, I am there,
With my proud little head full of lore,
A melodious note ever swelling my throat,
I'm an optimist. 'Knock at the door!'
Scheme | ABCBXDXD EFXFXGXG CFXFXHAH XIXIXEXE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111001001001 0111001 101101001011 001101001 001001011111 1110111 101111001111 001011101 111011101 11101101 01010110010 11011 1111011001 11101001 01011101011 011101001 11111011011 10100101 11101111101 011011101 111111101101 101101101 111001101101 111011101 11001101101 11101101 011101101011 1111001011 111001111111 111101111 001001101011 111001101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,295 |
Words | 265 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 247 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 66 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 67 Views
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