Analysis of Sic Vos Non Vobis
Ada Cambridge 1844 (St Germans, Norfolk) – 1926 (Melbourne)
Ye, that the untrod paths have braved,
With heart and brain unbound;
Who ask not that your souls be saved,
But that the Truth be found;
Whose fiery cross is borne unseen,
Whose meek brows, bleeding but serene
With only thorns are crowned;
Who, still and steadfast, stand for Right,
Though none acclaim and none requite:
Who learn how little is the sum
Of all that Truth can teach,
And where the serried boundaries come
That bar your utmost reach;
For whom so sage, no saint, can find
A clue to aught that lies behind;
For whom the preachers preach
Only to leave ye at the door
That opens to their knock no more:
Who, listening in the trackless night,
Hearing no bugle-call,
Still fight, undaunted, the good fight,
And never fail or fall;
Who, standing on an inch of ground,
Feel the Infinities around,
Yet dare to face it all,
And keep the life ye hold in trust
Safe from besetting moth and rust.
Life - tragic mystery of Man -
Strange tale of joy and grief!
Chaff for the errant winds to fan,
A bubble bright and brief,
That floats and shines and bursts unseen,
And leaves no trace where it has been;
Like thistle-down and leaf,
That in soft airs of autumn dance,
The helpless sport of Fate and Chance.
Ye, who can see the case so clear,
And scorn to cringe and moan,
Who follow humbly, without fear,
The soul's behest alone;
Content to suffer for the sake
Of faithful manhood, and to make
A loftier stepping-stone,
A straighter way, a smoother street,
For tread of unborn children's feet.
Ye, whom the children's sorrows rend,
And who despise the smart,
Who walk uprightly to the end
With an undoubting heart,
To take the guerdon of your pain -
Death, with no hope to live again -
Ye have the better part,
Salt of the world, that keeps it sound!
Kings that shall yet be throned and crowned.
Scheme | ABABCCBDA EFEFGGFHH DIDIBBIJJ KLKLCXLMM NONOPPOQQ ARXRXXRBB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111 110101 11111111 110111 110011101 11110101 110111 1101111 1101011 11110101 111111 01011001 11111 11111111 01111101 110101 10111101 11011111 11000011 101101 11010011 010111 11011111 10101 111111 01011101 11010101 11010011 111101 11010111 010101 11010101 01111111 110101 10111101 01011101 11110111 011101 11010011 010101 10110101 1101011 0100101 01010101 11111101 11010101 010101 111101 1111 1101111 11111101 110101 11011111 11111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,747 |
Words | 333 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9 |
Lines Amount | 54 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 232 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 55 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 29, 2023
- 1:40 min read
- 115 Views
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"Sic Vos Non Vobis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/95/sic-vos-non-vobis>.
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