Bill 'Awkins

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



"'As anybody seen Bill 'Awkins?"
    "Now 'ow in the devil would I know?"
"'E's taken my girl out walkin',
    An' I've got to tell 'im so --
       Gawd -- bless -- 'im!
    I've got to tell 'im so."
 
 "D'yer know what 'e's like, Bill 'Awkins?"
    "Now what in the devil would I care?"
"'E's the livin', breathin' image of an organ-grinder's monkey,
    With a pound of grease in 'is 'air --
       Gawd -- bless -- 'im!
    An' a pound o' grease in 'is 'air."
 
 "An' s'pose you met Bill 'Awkins,
    Now what in the devil 'ud ye do?"
"I'd open 'is cheek to 'is chin-strap buckle,
    An' bung up 'is both eyes, too --
       Gawd -- bless -- 'im!
    An' bung up 'is both eyes, too!"
 
 "Look 'ere, where 'e comes, Bill 'Awkins!
    Now what in the devil will you say?"
"It isn't fit an' proper to be fightin' on a Sunday,
    So I'll pass 'im the time o' day --
       Gawd -- bless -- 'im!
    I'll pass 'im the time o' day!"

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 07, 2023

56 sec read
146

Quick analysis:

Scheme abbaCa adxdCd aexECE aaffCf
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 914
Words 185
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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    How many syllables an Iambic Pentameter line must have?
    A 20
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