Analysis of A Carol

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



Our Lord Who did the Ox command
To kneel to Judah's King,
He binds His frost upon the land
To ripen it for Spring --
To ripen it for Spring, good sirs,
According to His Word.
Which well must be as ye can see --
And who shall judge the Lord?

When we poor fenmen skate the ice
Or shiver on the wold,
We hear the cry of a single tree
That breaks her heart in the cold --
That breaks her heart in the cold, good sirs,
And rendeth by the board.
Which well must be as ye can see --
And who shall judge the Lord?

Her wood is crazed and little worth
Excepting as to burn,
That we may warm and make our mirth
Until the Spring return --
Until the Spring return, good sirs,
When Christians walk abroad;
When well must be as ye can see --
And who shall judge the Lord?

God bless the master of this house,
And all who sleep therein!
And guard the fens from pirate folk,
And keep us all from sin,
To walk in honesty, good sirs,
Of thought and deed ad word!
Which shall befriend our latter end....
And who shall judge the Lord?


Scheme ababcdCE cfxfceCE ghghcxcE cixicdxE
Poetic Form
Metre 101110101 11111 11110101 110111 11011111 010111 11111111 011101 1111101 110101 110110101 1101001 110100111 01101 11111111 011101 01110101 10111 111101101 010101 01010111 110101 11111111 011101 11010111 011101 01011101 011111 11010011 110111 110110101 011101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 989
Words 208
Sentences 10
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 192
Words per stanza (avg) 52
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

1:02 min read
192

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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