The Man He Killed
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
I shot him dead because--
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although
He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like--just as I--
Was out of work--had sold his traps--
No other reason why.
Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 224 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD XEXE FGFG HIHI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 608 |
Words | 115 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Man He Killed" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36527/the-man-he-killed>.
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