Marie Antoinette
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
They told to Marie Antoinette:
"The beggers at your gate
Have eyes too sad for tears to wet,
And for your pity wait."
But Marie only laughed and said:
"My heart they will not ache:
If people starve for want of bread
Let them eat cake."
The Court re-echoed her bon mot;
It rang around the land,
Till masses wakened from their woe
With scyth and pick in hand.
It took a careless, callous phrase
To rouse the folk forlorn:
A million roared the Marseillaise:
Freedom was born.
And so to Marie Antoinette
Let's pay a tribute due;
Humanity owes her a debt,
(Ironical, it's true).
She sparked world revolution red,
And as with glee they bore
Upon a pike her lovely head
--Her curls dripped gore.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 131 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD AEXEFGFG AHAHCICI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 799 |
Words | 131 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"Marie Antoinette" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32239/marie-antoinette>.
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