Analysis of Ye Old Mule

David McKee Wright 1869 – 1928



Ye old mule that think yourself so fair,
Leave off with craft your beauty to repair,
For it is true, without any fable,
No man setteth more by riding in your saddle.
Too much travail so do your train appair.
        Ye old mule
With false savour though you deceive th'air,
Whoso taste you shall well perceive your lair
Savoureth somewhat of a Kappurs stable.
        Ye old mule
Ye must now serve to market and to fair,
All for the burden, for panniers a pair.
For since gray hairs been powdered in your sable,
The thing ye seek for, you must yourself enable
To purchase it by payment and by prayer,
Ye old mule.


Scheme aabbaCaabCaabbaC
Poetic Form
Metre 111110111 1111110101 1111011010 11111100110 110111111 111 1111101111 111110111 11110110 111 1111110011 110101101 11111100110 011111101010 1101110011 111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 605
Words 115
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 468
Words per stanza (avg) 113
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
110

David McKee Wright

David McKee Wright was an Irish-born poet and journalist, active in New Zealand and Australia. more…

All David McKee Wright poems | David McKee Wright Books

1 fan

Discuss this David McKee Wright poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Ye Old Mule" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7945/ye-old-mule>.

    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.
    2
    days
    23
    hours
    29
    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 wrote the poem "Dreams"?
    A Thomas Hardy
    B Langston Hughes
    C Gerard Manley Hopkins
    D John Donne