Analysis of Ralph Rhodes
Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)
All they said was true:
I wrecked my father's bank with my loans
To dabble in wheat; but this was true --
I was buying wheat for him as well,
Who couldn't margin the deal in his name
Because of his church relationship.
And while George Reece was serving his term
I chased the will-o'-the-wisp of women,
And the mockery of wine in New York.
It's deathly to sicken of wine and women
When nothing else is left in life.
But suppose your head is gray, and bowed
On a table covered with acrid stubs
Of cigarettes and empty glasses,
And a knock is heard, and you know it's the knock
So long drowned out by popping corks
And the pea-cock screams of demireps --
And you look up, and there's your Theft,
Who waited until your head was gray,
And your heart skipped beats to say to you:
The game is ended. I've called for you.
Go out on Broadway and be run over,
They'll ship you back to Spoon River.
Scheme | ABACDEFGHGIJKLMNBOPAAQQ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111 111101111 110011111 111011111 1101001011 01111010 011111011 1101101110 0010011011 11011011010 11011101 101111101 1010101101 10101010 00111011101 11111101 0011111 01110111 110011111 011111111 011101111 111101110 11111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 874 |
Words | 174 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 23 |
Lines Amount | 23 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 683 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 172 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 126 Views
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