Analysis of Oh Who Is That Young Sinner
Alfred Edward Housman 1859 – 1936
Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they're taking him to prison for the color of his hair.
'Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time 'twas hanging for the color that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable color of his hair.
Oh a deal of pains he's taken and a pretty price he's paid
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar's hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they're taking him to justice for the color of his hair.
Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet,
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labor in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the color of his hair.
Scheme | AABB CCBB DDBB EEBB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1111110101111 01111101110111 0111101010101 111011101010111 101110101011111 001111101010111 1101010101111 101000100010111 101111100010111 11111111011 11101111011101 011011101010111 1111110001111 001011100010001 001111100011111 111011111010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 956 |
Words | 194 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 47 |
Words per line (avg) | 12 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 187 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 48 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 1:00 min read
- 178 Views
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"Oh Who Is That Young Sinner" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/899/oh-who-is-that-young-sinner>.
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