Analysis of Arma Virumque
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
'Ours is a Christian Army'; so he said
A regiment of bangomen who led.
'And ours a Christian Navy,' added he
Who sailed a thunder-junk upon the sea.
Better they know than men unwarlike do
What is an army and a navy, too.
Pray God there may be sent them by-and-by
The knowledge what a Christian is, and why.
For somewhat lamely the conception runs
Of a brass-buttoned Jesus firing guns.
| Scheme | AABBCCDDEE |
|---|---|
| Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
| Metre | 10101010111 01001111 01001010101 1101010101 10111111 1111000101 1111111101 0101010101 1111000101 1011010101 |
| Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
| Characters | 384 |
| Words | 74 |
| Sentences | 6 |
| Stanzas | 1 |
| Stanza Lengths | 10 |
| Lines Amount | 10 |
| Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
| Words per line (avg) | 7 |
| Letters per stanza (avg) | 298 |
| Words per stanza (avg) | 71 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 22, 2023
- 21 sec read
- 412 Views
2 fans
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Arma Virumque" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/1713/arma-virumque>.
Powered by CITE.ME
Discuss this Ambrose Bierce poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In