Analysis of The Last Word

Matthew Arnold 1822 (Laleham) – 1888 (Liverpool)



Creep into thy narrow bed,
Creep, and let no more be said!
Vain thy onset! all stands fast.
Thou thyself must break at last.

Let the long contention cease!
Geese are swans, and swans are geese.
Let them have it how they will!
Thou art tired: best be still.

They out-talked thee, hissed thee, tore thee?
Better men fared thus before thee;
Fired their ringing shot and passed,
Hotly charged - and sank at last.

Charge once more, then, and be dumb!
Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find thy body by the wall!


Scheme AABB CCDD EEBB FFGG
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1011101 1011111 111111 111111 1010101 1110111 1111111 1110111 11111111 10111011 10110101 1010111 1111011 1010111 1011101 1110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 543
Words 102
Sentences 13
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 102
Words per stanza (avg) 25
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

30 sec read
215

Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. more…

All Matthew Arnold poems | Matthew Arnold Books

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    Poet George McDonald wrote a two-word poem that reads _____ _____?
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    D See You!