Analysis of The Elusive New Zoo Gnu
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 1876 (Auburn) – 1938 (Melbourne)
They had a new gnu at the Zoo
And nobody knew.
Tho' the keeper, they say, had a clue;
And that's probably true,
Since he knew a new gnu was due,
And well he knew, too,
That the mother would hide it from view,
As a natural gnu
Will do.
For the instinct, innate in the gnu,
Known only to few
Is to hide a new gnu lest it rue
What ill-doers do.
Why should nature, we wonder, imbue
A beast like a gnu
With such caution? This fact, hitherto,
Few knew to be true.
Did you?
But they've found it at last at rhe Zoo -
Such a shy little gnu,
White of tail and the coat that it grew
Of indefinite hue.
And now, I suppose, a long queue
Will be waiting to view
This nice little new Zoo gnu.
Such sights ever drew
Quite a crew.
But who knew the new gnu at the Zoo
For the first day or two?
Who guessed where 'twas hidden, and who,
As new rumors flew,
Ever thought, ever dreamed ever drew
Some vague hint, or grew
Suspicious? Where was he? Who knew?
Not the crane, not the white cockatoo
Who ejaculates, 'How do you do?'
Not the apes all emblazoned in blue,
Not the owl with his dreary 'Too-woo!'
Nor tapir, nor tiger who slew
His prey 'mid the ginat bamboo
Once, back of Bengal, in Kooloo;
Not elephant, not kangaroo,
None knew; none knew;
Not aman, not a beast in the Zoo
From its hub to its furthrest purlieu . . .
But the new gnu knew.
Too true!
Scheme | AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAABAAABAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011101 011 101011101 011001 11101111 01111 101011111 101001 11 101001001 11011 111011111 11101 111011001 01101 11101111 11111 11 111111111 101101 111001111 101001 01101011 111011 1110111 11101 101 111011101 101111 11111001 11101 101101101 11111 01011111 10110110 111111 101101001 101111011 1111011 1110101 1111001 1100101 1111 110101001 1111111 10111 11 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,301 |
Words | 271 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 9, 20 |
Lines Amount | 47 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 250 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 69 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 151 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Elusive New Zoo Gnu" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/6631/the-elusive-new-zoo-gnu>.
Discuss this Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis 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