Analysis of EXODOUS
JP. 1948 (United Kingdom)
The Pharaoh was sitting on his throne
In contemplation of all he owned
But the thought that he might loose it all
If a small disaster should pay a call
He sent for Moses a good strong boy
And asked “Can you help” now don’t be coy
I just have a feeling that something is wrong
The Empire of Egypt has never been this strong
Well what more do you want, his vassal enquired?
A little uneasy with what had transpired
I need an enforcer and I thought of you
There would not be much that you have to do
Just hold down the crime and keep terror at bay
That’s all I shall need now what do you say?
Well Moses said thanks but I’ll have to say no
See my god has requested that you let us all go!
I knew it said Pharaoh it was you all along
When the river ran red I knew something was wrong
And what’s with the toads raining down from the sky?
No, I can’t let them go we would never get by
Is that your last word then in this little spat
Moses asked as he nonchalantly swatted a gnat
It is, said the Pharaoh there’ll be no compromise
And as you are going will you take with you these flies
From that point in things simply got worse
With the Pharaoh convinced that the Jews were a curse
He could not go out for dead cows in the street
And the sun very quick at tainting the meat
So the Pharaoh bid Moses “Come here and lets talk”
No I can’t come to you because I can’t walk
And when Moses went round to his place on the Nile
He saw Pharaoh’s foot with a glistening red boil
You’re in a bad way Moses said you are cursed
Will you please let us go before it gets worse?
But Pharaoh was stubborn and would not relent
As outside the hail fell in the seventh plague sent
With all the crops flat Moses made one more call
Let my people go they’re not yours after all
But the Pharaoh was cunning and tried to buy time
And asked Moses for help just this one last time
We need you to help us to gather in the crops
That is if this hail is ever going to stop
But the locusts devoured the corn where it fell
There was not an ear left for Pharaoh to sell
Well you cannot go now there are new crops to plant
Said a Pharaoh trying hard not to seem a tyrant
But Moses took leave and said he must go
As it’s getting quite dark and progress was slow
Don’t think this the end there is more yet to come
Let my people go or you will loose your first son
Moses told of the visitor his god would send
With no mention of lamb blood to ward off Ha'Shem
Still Pharaoh was stubborn and would not give in
Unaware that omnipotence is a terrible sin
And all through the land a wail of regret
That a Pharaoh’s no match for a god he’d not met
No more cried the Pharaoh take your children and go
Leave Egypt for Sinai and don’t walk too slow
As the children set out for the new promised-land
Moses counted ten plagues that had got out of hand
And stood by the sea saw a column of dust
Pursued by the soldiers of one not to trust
As he held out his staff for the red sea to part
He said, “It’s a bit muddy but we’d best make a start”
He noted twelve tribes as they all walked by
With their sheep and their goats and children that cry
He watched as the waters swallowed up swords and shields
Of Egyptians that perished on that killing field
And mused if Passover was always like this?
If it was then next year we might give it a miss
As he ambled along in the wilderness sun
On the brink of a journey only just begun
Scheme | XABBCCDD AXEEFFGG DDHHIIJJ KKLLMMXX XKNNBBOO XXPPXXGG XQXORRSS GGTTUUVV HHXXWWQQ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010110111 00101111 101111111 1010101101 111100111 011111111 11101011011 0100110110111 1111111101 010010111010 11101001111 1111111111 11101011011 1111111111 11011111111 1111010111111 111110111101 101011111011 00101101101 111111111011 11111101101 1011110101001 11101011110 0111101111111 111011011 101001101001 11111111001 00110111001 101011011011 11111101111 011011111101 111011010011 10011101111 11111101111 11011001101 111011001011 11011101111 11101111101 101011001111 01101111111 111111110001 111111101011 101001001111 11111111011 111011111111 1010101111010 1101101111 1110110111 11101111111 111011111111 101101001111 11101111111 11011001110 0110100101001 0110101101 101011101111 111010111001 1101101111 101011101101 101011111111 01101101011 01101011111 111111101111 1110110111101 1101111111 11101101011 111010101101 101011011101 011101111 111111111101 111001001001 101101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 3,360 |
Words | 690 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 72 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 294 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 76 |
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"EXODOUS" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/102123/exodous>.
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