Analysis of Alphabet Poem 1877

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



A     tumbled down, and hurt his Arm, against a bit of wood.
B     said, "My Boy, O! do not cry' it cannot do you good!"
C     said, "A Cup of Coffee hot can't do you any harm."
D     said, "A Doctor should be fetched, and he would cure the arm."
E     said, "An Egg beat up in milk would quickly make him well."
F     said, "A Fish, if broiled, might cure, if only by the smell."
G     said, "Green Gooseberry fool, the best of cures I hold."
H     said, "His Hat should be kept on, keep him from the cold."
I     said, "Some Ice upon his head will make him better soon."
J     said, "Some Jam, if spread on bread, or given in a spoon."
K     said, "A Kangaroo is here,—this picture let him see."
L     said, "A Lamp pray keep alight, to make some barley tea."
M     said, "A Mulberry or two might give him satisfaction."
N     said, "Some Nuts, if rolled about, might be a slight attraction."
O     said, "An Owl might make him laugh, if only it would wink."
P     said, "Some Poetry might be read aloud, to make him think."
Q     said, "A Quince I recommend,—A Quince, or else a Quail."
R     said, "Some Rats might make him move, if fastened by their tail."
S     said, "A Song should now be sung, in hopes to make him laugh!"
T     said, "A Turnip might avail, if sliced or cut in half."
U     said, "An Urn, with water hot, place underneath his chin!"
V     said, "I'll stand upon a chair, and play a Violin!"
W    said, "Some Whiskey-Whizzgigs fetch, some marbles and a ball!"
X     said, "Some double XX ale would be the best of all!"
Y     said, "Some Yeast mised up with salt would make a perfect plaster!"
Z     said, "Here is a box of Zinc! Get in my little master!
       We'll shut you up! We'll nail you down!
       We will, my little master!
       We think we've all heard quite enough of this sad disaster!"


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNMM
Poetic Form
Metre 01010111010111 11111111110111 11011101111101 11010111011101 11111101110111 11011111110101 111101011111 1111111111101 11110111111101 11111111110001 1100111110111 11011101111101 1101011111010 111111011101010 11111111110111 111100111011111 1101101011101 11111111110111 11011111011111 11010101111101 1111110110111 11110101010001 100111011110001 1111011110111 111111111100110 111101111011010 11111111 1111010 11111101111010
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,830
Words 369
Sentences 33
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 29
Lines Amount 29
Letters per line (avg) 42
Words per line (avg) 15
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,222
Words per stanza (avg) 441
Font size:
 

Written on 1877

Submitted by Drone232 on May 16, 2022

Modified on April 25, 2023

1:52 min read
13

Edward Lear

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised. more…

All Edward Lear poems | Edward Lear Books

1 fan

Discuss this Edward Lear poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Alphabet Poem 1877" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/127726/alphabet-poem-1877>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    19
    days
    1
    hour
    52
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet is known for writing "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"?
    A Sylvia Plath
    B Dylan Thomas
    C T.S. Eliot
    D William Shakespeare