Analysis of The Debt Unpayable
Francis William Bourdillon 1852 (Runcorn) – 1921
What have I given,
Bold sailor on the sea?
In earth or heaven,
That you should die for me?
What can I give,
O soldier, leal and brave,
Long as I live,
To pay the life you gave?
What tithe or part
Can I return to thee,
O stricken heart,
That thou shouldst break for me?
The wind of Death
For you has slain life's flowers,
It withereth
(God grant) all weeds in ours.
| Scheme | ABAB XCXC DBDB EFEF |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Quatrain |
| Metre | 11110 110101 01110 111111 1111 110101 1111 110111 1111 110111 1101 111111 0111 1111110 11 1111010 |
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 372 |
| Words | 76 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 4 |
| Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
| Lines Amount | 16 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 17 |
| Words per line (avg) | 5 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 69 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 19 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 23 sec read
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"The Debt Unpayable" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13976/the-debt-unpayable>.
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