Analysis of There was an old man on the Border

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



There was an old man on the Border,
  Who lived in the utmost disorder;
  He danced with the cat, and made tea in his hat,
  Which vexed all the folks on the Border.


Scheme AABA
Poetic Form Mâni 
Rubaiyat 
Metre 111111010 11001010 11101011011 111011010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 173
Words 35
Sentences 2
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 4
Lines Amount 4
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 122
Words per stanza (avg) 33
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

10 sec read
175

Edward Lear

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised. more…

All Edward Lear poems | Edward Lear Books

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