Analysis of The Jaybird

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



The Jaybird he's my _favorite_
Of all the birds they is!
I think he's quite a stylish sight
In that blue suit of his:
An' when he' lights an' shuts his wings,
His coat's a 'cutaway'--
I guess it's only when he sings
You'd know he wuz a jay.

I like to watch him when he's lit
In top of any tree,
'Cause all birds git wite out of it
When _he_ 'lights, an' they see
How proud he act', an' swell an' spread
His chest out more an' more,
An' raise the feathers on his head
Like it's cut pompadore!


Scheme ABABCDCD AEAEAXAE
Poetic Form
Metre 01111 110111 11110101 011111 11111111 110100 11110111 111101 11111111 011101 11111111 111111 11111111 111111 11010111 1111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 484
Words 103
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 180
Words per stanza (avg) 51
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
124

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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