Analysis of The Thousandth Man
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
One man in a thousand, Solomon says,
Will stick more close than a brother.
And it's worth while seeking him half your days
If you find him before the other.
Nine nundred and ninety-nine depend
On what the world sees in you,
But the Thousandth man will stand your friend
With the whole round world agin you.
'Tis neither promise nor prayer nor show
Will settle the finding for 'ee.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em go
By your looks, or your acts, or your glory.
But if he finds you and you find him.
The rest of the world don't matter;
For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim
With you in any water.
You can use his purse with no more talk
Than he uses yours for his spendings,
And laugh and meet in your daily walk
As though there had been no lendings.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em call
For silver and gold in their dealings;
But the Thousandth Man h's worth 'em all,
Because you can show him your feelings.
His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,
In season or out of season.
Stand up and back it in all men's sight --
With that for your only reason!
Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide
The shame or mocking or laughter,
But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side
To the gallows-foot -- and after!
Scheme | ABXBCDCD EFEFGBGB HAHIJIJI KLKLMBMB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1100101001 11111010 0111101111 111101010 11010101 1101101 101011111 10111011 110101111 11001011 1100101111 1111111110 111110111 01101110 101011111 1101010 111111111 11101111 010101101 11111110 1100101111 110010110 1010110111 011111110 111101111 01011110 110110111 11111010 110010111 01110110 1010111111 10101010 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,204 |
Words | 235 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 238 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 58 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 2,196 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Thousandth Man" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33585/the-thousandth-man>.
Discuss this Rudyard Kipling 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