Analysis of The Sum-Up
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
It is not power and fame
That make success;
It is not rank or name
Rate happiness.
It is not honour due
Nor pile of pelf:
The pay-off is: Did you
Enjoy yourself?
A pal of days gone by
I reckon more
Of a success than I
Who've gold in store
His life, though none too long,
Was never dull:
Of woman, wine and song
Bill had his full.
Friend, you are a success
If you can say:
"A heap of happiness
Has come my way.
No cheers have made me glad,
No wealth I've won;
But oh how I have had
A heap of FUN!"
Scheme | ABACDEDE FGFGHXHX BICIJKJK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111001 1101 111111 1100 11111 1111 011111 0101 011111 1101 100111 0101 111111 1101 110101 1111 111001 1111 011100 1111 111111 1111 111111 0111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 598 |
Words | 109 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 15 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 123 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 116 Views
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"The Sum-Up" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32660/the-sum-up>.
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