The Contemplative Sentry
William Schwenck Gilbert 1836 – 1911
When all night long a chap remains
On sentry-go, to chase monotony
He exercises of his brains,
That is, assuming that he's got any.
Though never nurtured in the lap
Of luxury, yet I admonish you,
I am an intellectual chap,
And think of things that would astonish you.
I often think it's comical
How Nature always does contrive
That every boy and every gal,
That's born into the world alive,
Is either a little Liberal,
Or else a little Conservative!
Fal lal la!
When in that house M.P.'s divide,
If they've a brain and cerebellum, too,
They've got to leave that brain outside,
And vote just as their leaders tell 'em to.
But then the prospect of a lot
Of statesmen, all in close proximity,
A-thinking for themselves, is what
No man can face with equanimity.
Then let's rejoice with loud Fal lal
That Nature wisely does contrive
That every boy and every gal,
That's born into the world alive,
Is either a little Liberal,
Or else a little Conservative!
Fal lal la!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 89 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababcdcdefGFEHI jdjdxbxbgfGFEHI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 941 |
Words | 178 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 15, 15 |
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"The Contemplative Sentry" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41281/the-contemplative-sentry>.
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