Analysis of Decorations
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
My only medals are the scars
I've won in weary, peacetime wars,
A-fighting for my little brood,
To win them shelter, shoon and food;
But most of all to give them faith
In God's good mercy unto death.
My sons have medals gleaming bright,
Proud trophies won in foreign fight;
But though their crosses bravely shine,
My boys can show no wounds like mine -
Grim gashes dolorously healed,
And inner ailings unrevealed.
Life-lasting has my battle been,
My enemy a fierce machine;
And I am marked by many a blow
In conflict with a tireless foe,
Till warped and bent beneath the beat
Of life's unruth I own defeat.
Yet strip me bare and you will see
A worthy warrior I be;
Although no uniform I've worn,
By wounds of labour I am torn;
Leave the their ribbands and their stars . . .
Behold! I proudly prize my scars.
Scheme | AXBBXX CCDDXB XXEEFF GGHHAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11010101 1101011 01011101 11110101 11111111 01110101 11110101 11010101 11110101 11111111 11011 01011 11011101 11000101 011111001 010101001 11010101 1111101 11110111 01010011 111011 1111111 1011011 01110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 792 |
Words | 150 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 157 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 46 sec read
- 114 Views
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"Decorations" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32073/decorations>.
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