Analysis of Two Kopjes
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
(Made Yeomanry towards End of Boer War)
Only two African kopjes,
Only the cart-tracks that wind
Empty and open between 'em,
Only the Transvaal behind;
Only an Aldershot column
Marching to conquer the land . . .
Only a sudden and solemn
Visit, unarmed, to the Rand.
Then scorn not the African kopje,
The kopje that smiles in the heat,
The wholly unoccupied kopje,
The home of Cornelius and Piet.
You can never be sure of your kopje,
But of this be you blooming well sure,
A kopje is always a kopje,
And a Boojer is always a Boer!
Only two African kopjes,
Only the vultures above,
Only baboons--at the bottom,
Only some buck on the move;
Only a Kensington draper
Only pretending to scout . . .
.Only bad news for the paper,
Only another knock-out.
Then mock not the African kopje,
And rub not your flank on its side,
The silent and simmering kopje,
The kopje beloved by the guide.
You can never be, etc.
Only two African kopjes,
Only the dust of their wheels,
Only a bolted commando,
Only our guns at their heels . . .
Only a little barb-wire,
Only a natural fort,
Only "by sections retire,"
Only "regret to report! "
Then mock not the .African kopje,
Especially when it is twins,
One sharp and one table-topped kopje
For that's where the trouble begins.
You never can be, etc.
Only two African kopjes
Baited the same as before--
Only we've had it so often,
Only we're taking no more . . .
Only a wave to our troopers,
Only our flanks swinging past,
Only a dozen voorloopers,.
Only we've learned it at last!
Then mock not the African kopje,
But take off your hat to the same,
The patient, impartial old kopje,
The kopje that taught us the game!
For all that we knew in the Columns,
And all they've forgot on the Staff,
We learned at the Fight o' Two Kopjes,
Which lasted two years an' a half.
0 mock not the African kopje,
Not even when peace has been signed--
The kopje that isn't a kopje--
The kopje that copies its kind.
You can never be sure of your kopje,
But of this be you blooming well sure,
That a kopje is always a kopje,
And a Boojer is always a Boer!
Scheme | a Bcxcdede fxfxFGfA Bxdxhihi Fjfjk Bbxbhlxl Fbfbk Baxabmbm Fnfnbobo fcfcFGfA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011111 1011001 1001111 10010011 1000101 101110 1011001 10010010 1001101 11101001 0111001 0100101 011010010 111011111 111111011 011101 0011101 1011001 1001001 10011010 1011101 10010010 1001011 10111010 1001011 11101001 01111111 01001001 0101101 11101100 1011001 1001111 1001001 10101111 10010110 1001001 1011001 1001101 11101001 0101111 11011011 11101001 11011100 1011001 1001101 10111110 1011011 100111010 10101101 100101 1011111 11101001 11111101 01001011 0111101 111110010 01101101 11101111 11011101 1101001 11011111 0111001 0111011 111011111 111111011 1011101 0011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,208 |
Words | 381 |
Sentences | 30 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 5, 8, 5, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 67 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 157 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 42 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 13, 2023
- 1:55 min read
- 95 Views
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