Analysis of A Soldier's Valentine.
Horatio Alger Jr 1832 ( Chelsea, Massachusetts)
Just from the sentry's tramp
(I must take it again at ten),
I have laid my musket down,
And seized instead my pen;
For, pacing my lonely round
In the chilly twilight gray,
The thought, dear Mary, came,
That this is St. Valentine's Day.
And with the thought there came
A glimpse of the happy time
When a school-boy's first attempt
I sent you, in borrowed rhyme,
On a gilt-edged sheet, embossed
With many a quaint design,
And signed, in school-boy hand,
"Your loving Valentine."
The years have come and gone,--
Have flown, I know not where, --
And the school-boy's merry face
Is grave with manhood's care;
But the heart of the man still beats
At the well-remembered name,
And on this St. Valentine's Day
His choice is still the same.
There was a time-- ah, well!
Think not that I repine
When I dreamed this happy day
Would smile on you as mine;
But I heard my country's call;
I knew her need was sore.
Thank God, no selfish thought
Withheld me from the war.
But when the dear old flag
Shall float in its ancient pride,
When the twain shall be made one,
And feuds no more divide,--
I will lay my musket down,
My martial garb resign,
And turn my joyous feet
Toward home and Valentine.
Scheme | XABAXCDC DEXEXFXF XGXGXDCD XACFXHXH XIXIBFXF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) |
Metre | 11011 11110111 1111101 010111 1101101 001011 011101 1111101 010111 0110101 1011101 111011 1011101 1100101 010111 11010 011101 111111 0011101 11111 10110111 1010101 0111101 111101 110111 11111 1111101 111111 1111101 110111 111101 011101 110111 1101101 1011111 011101 1111101 110101 011101 011010 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,153 |
Words | 227 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 180 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 44 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 1 View
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"A Soldier's Valentine." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/55620/a-soldier%27s-valentine.>.
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