Analysis of The Healer
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
"Tuberculosis should not be,"
The old professor said.
"If folks would hearken unto me
'Twould save a million dead.
Nay, no consumptive needs to die,
--A cure have I.
"From blood of turtle I've distilled
An elixir of worth;
Let every sufferer be thrilled
And sing for joy of earth;
Yet every doctor turns his back
And calls me quack.
"Alas! They do not want to cure,
For sickness is their meat;
So persecution I endure,
And die in dark defeat:
Ye lungers, listen to my call!
--I'll save you all."
The old Professor now is dead,
And turtles of the sea,
Knowing their blood they need not shed,
Are festive in their glee:
While sanitoriums are crammed
With legions dammed.
Scheme | ABABCC DEDEFF GHGHII BABAJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0010111 010101 1111101 110101 111111 0111 11110101 101011 110010011 011111 110010111 0111 01111111 110111 1010101 010101 1110111 1111 01010111 010101 10111111 110011 1111 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 794 |
Words | 125 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 128 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 115 Views
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"The Healer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32552/the-healer>.
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