Analysis of An Unanswerable Apology For The Rich.
Mary Barber 1685 – 1755
All--bounteous Heav'n, Castalio cries,
With bended Knees, and lifted Eyes,
When shall I have the Pow'r to bless,
And raise up Merit in Distress?
How do our Hearts deceive us here!
He gets ten thousand Pounds a Year.
With this the pious Youth is able
To build, and plant, and keep a Table.
But then the Poor he must not treat:
Who asks the Wretch, that wants to eat?
Alas! to ease their Woes he wishes;
But cannot live without Ten Dishes:
Tho' Six would serve as well, 'tis true;
But one must live, as others do.
He now feels Wants unknown before,
Wants still increasing with his Store.
The good Castalio must provide
Brocade, and Jewels, for his Bride.
Her Toilet shines with Plate emboss'd;
What Sums her Lace and Linen cost!
The Cloaths that must his Person grace,
Shine with Embroidery, and Lace.
The costly Pride of Persian Looms,
And Guido's Paintings, grace his Rooms.
His Wealth Castalio will not waste;
But must have ev'ry thing in Taste.
He's an OEconomist confest;
But what he buys, must be the best:
For common Use a Set of Plate;
Old China, when he dines in State;
A Coach and Six, to take the Air;
Besides a Chariot, and a Chair.
All these important Calls supply'd,
Calls of Necessity, not Pride,
His Income's regularly spent;
He scarcely saves to pay his Rent.
No Man alive would do more Good,
Or give more freely, if he cou'd.
He grieves, whene'er the Wretched sue;
But what can poor Castalio do?
Would Heav'n but send ten thousand more,
He'd give--just as he did before.
Scheme | AABB XXCCDDXXEEFFGGXXHHIIJJDXKKLLDGMMXDEE FF |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111 11010101 111101111 01110001 111010111 11110101 110101110 110101010 11011111 11011111 011111110 110101110 11111111 11111101 11110101 11010111 011101 01010111 01011101 11010101 01111101 11010001 01011101 0110111 111111 1111101 1111 11111101 11010111 11011101 01011101 010100001 1101011 11010011 1110001 11011111 11011111 11110111 1110101 111111 11111101 11111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,453 |
Words | 272 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 36, 2 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 380 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 90 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:25 min read
- 101 Views
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"An Unanswerable Apology For The Rich." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26615/an-unanswerable-apology-for-the-rich.>.
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