Analysis of Dane-Geld
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say:--
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation for a reach and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:--
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the
time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:--
"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!"
Scheme | ABCB CDCD ABXXB CXCD ABXB CXXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (24%) |
Metre | 111001011101010 110101011 10101111110111 0111111101 011110111 001011101 1110111011 01111101 111001010101010 1101010011 111110111110 1111 1111111101 011110011 111101001 1111111011 11011101 1111101000111010 1111010101 111101011111010 11111010011 110110111 11011001 101111101001 001011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,055 |
Words | 219 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 5, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 134 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 35 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 3,005 Views
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