The Coward Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AAABCCCB CCCBDDDB EEEFCCCF BBB G G HHHBI IB JJJKL L MNMOMMMO PPPBB BB IIIQMMMQ RRRJIIIJ

'Ave you seen Bill's mug in the Noos to dayA
'E's gyned the Victoriar Cross they sayA
Little Bill wot would grizzle and run awayA
If you 'it 'im a swipe on the jawrB
'E's slaughtered the Kaiser's men in tonsC
'E's captured one of their quick fire gunsC
And 'e 'adn't no practice in killin' 'UnsC
Afore 'e went off to the warB
-
Little Bill wot I nussed in 'is by by clothesC
Little Bill wot told me 'is childish woesC
'Ow often I've tidied 'is pore little noseC
Wiv the 'em of me pinnyforeB
And now all the papers 'is praises ringD
And 'e's been and 'e's shaken the 'and of the KingD
And I sawr 'im to day in the ward pore thingD
Where they're patchin' 'im up once moreB
-
And 'e says Wot d'ye think of it Lizer AnnE
And I says Well I can't make it out old manE
You'd 'ook it as soon as a scrap beganE
When you was a bit of a kidF
And 'e whispers 'Ere on the quiet LizC
They're makin' too much of the 'ole damn bizC
And the papers is printin' me ugly phizC
But I'm 'anged if I know wot I didF
-
Oh the Captain comes and 'e says 'Look 'ereB
They're far too quiet out there it's queerB
They're up to somethin' 'oo'll volunteerB
To crawl in the dark and see '-
Then I felt me 'eart like a 'ammer goG
And up jumps a chap and 'e says 'Right O '-
But I chips in straight and I says 'Oh noG
'E's a missis and kids take me '-
-
And the next I knew I was sneakin' outH
And the oozy corpses was all aboutH
And I felt so scared I wanted to shoutH
And me skin fair prickled wiv fearB
And I sez 'You coward You 'ad no rightI
To take on the job of a man this night '-
Yet still I kept creepin' till 'orrid sightI
The trench of the 'Uns was nearB
-
It was all so dark it was all so stillJ
Yet somethin' pushed me against me willJ
'Ow I wanted to turn Yet I crawled untilJ
I was seein' a dim light shineK
Then thinks I 'I'll just go a little bitL
And see wot the doose I can make of it '-
And it seemed to come from the mouth of a pitL
'Christmas ' sez I 'a mine '-
-
Then 'ere's the part wot I can't explainM
I wanted to make for 'ome againN
But somethin' was blazin' inside me brainM
So I crawled to the trench insteadO
Then I saw the bullet 'ead of a 'UnM
And 'e stood by a rapid firer gunM
And I lifted a rock and I 'it 'im oneM
And 'e dropped like a chunk o' leadO
-
Then all the 'Uns that was undergroundP
Comes up with a rush and on with a boundP
And I swings that giddy old Maxim roundP
And belts 'em solid and squareB
You see I was off me chump wiv fearB
'If I'm sellin' me life ' sez I 'it's dear '-
And the trench was narrow and they was nearB
So I peppered the brutes for fairB
-
So I 'eld 'em back and I yelled wiv frightI
And the boys attacked and we 'ad a fightI
And we 'captured a section o' trench' that nightI
Which we didn't expect to getQ
And they found me there with me Maxim gunM
And I'd laid out a score if I'd laid out oneM
And I fainted away when the thing was doneM
And I 'aven't got over it yetQ
-
So that's the 'istory Bill told meR
Of course it's all on the strict Q TR
It wouldn't do to get out you seeR
As 'e hacted against 'is willJ
But 'e's convalescin' wiv all 'is mightI
And 'e 'opes to be fit for another fightI
Say Ain't 'e a bit of the real all rightI
Wot's the matter with BillJ

Robert Service



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