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 day | A |
'E's gyned the Victoriar Cross they say | A |
Little Bill wot would grizzle and run away | A |
If you 'it 'im a swipe on the jawr | B |
'E's slaughtered the Kaiser's men in tons | C |
'E's captured one of their quick fire guns | C |
And 'e 'adn't no practice in killin' 'Uns | C |
Afore 'e went off to the war | B |
- | |
Little Bill wot I nussed in 'is by by clothes | C |
Little Bill wot told me 'is childish woes | C |
'Ow often I've tidied 'is pore little nose | C |
Wiv the 'em of me pinnyfore | B |
And now all the papers 'is praises ring | D |
And 'e's been and 'e's shaken the 'and of the King | D |
And I sawr 'im to day in the ward pore thing | D |
Where they're patchin' 'im up once more | B |
- | |
And 'e says Wot d'ye think of it Lizer Ann | E |
And I says Well I can't make it out old man | E |
You'd 'ook it as soon as a scrap began | E |
When you was a bit of a kid | F |
And 'e whispers 'Ere on the quiet Liz | C |
They're makin' too much of the 'ole damn biz | C |
And the papers is printin' me ugly phiz | C |
But I'm 'anged if I know wot I did | F |
- | |
Oh the Captain comes and 'e says 'Look 'ere | B |
They're far too quiet out there it's queer | B |
They're up to somethin' 'oo'll volunteer | B |
To crawl in the dark and see ' | - |
Then I felt me 'eart like a 'ammer go | G |
And up jumps a chap and 'e says 'Right O ' | - |
But I chips in straight and I says 'Oh no | G |
'E's a missis and kids take me ' | - |
- | |
And the next I knew I was sneakin' out | H |
And the oozy corpses was all about | H |
And I felt so scared I wanted to shout | H |
And me skin fair prickled wiv fear | B |
And I sez 'You coward You 'ad no right | I |
To take on the job of a man this night ' | - |
Yet still I kept creepin' till 'orrid sight | I |
The trench of the 'Uns was near | B |
- | |
It was all so dark it was all so still | J |
Yet somethin' pushed me against me will | J |
'Ow I wanted to turn Yet I crawled until | J |
I was seein' a dim light shine | K |
Then thinks I 'I'll just go a little bit | L |
And see wot the doose I can make of it ' | - |
And it seemed to come from the mouth of a pit | L |
'Christmas ' sez I 'a mine ' | - |
- | |
Then 'ere's the part wot I can't explain | M |
I wanted to make for 'ome again | N |
But somethin' was blazin' inside me brain | M |
So I crawled to the trench instead | O |
Then I saw the bullet 'ead of a 'Un | M |
And 'e stood by a rapid firer gun | M |
And I lifted a rock and I 'it 'im one | M |
And 'e dropped like a chunk o' lead | O |
- | |
Then all the 'Uns that was underground | P |
Comes up with a rush and on with a bound | P |
And I swings that giddy old Maxim round | P |
And belts 'em solid and square | B |
You see I was off me chump wiv fear | B |
'If I'm sellin' me life ' sez I 'it's dear ' | - |
And the trench was narrow and they was near | B |
So I peppered the brutes for fair | B |
- | |
So I 'eld 'em back and I yelled wiv fright | I |
And the boys attacked and we 'ad a fight | I |
And we 'captured a section o' trench' that night | I |
Which we didn't expect to get | Q |
And they found me there with me Maxim gun | M |
And I'd laid out a score if I'd laid out one | M |
And I fainted away when the thing was done | M |
And I 'aven't got over it yet | Q |
- | |
So that's the 'istory Bill told me | R |
Of course it's all on the strict Q T | R |
It wouldn't do to get out you see | R |
As 'e hacted against 'is will | J |
But 'e's convalescin' wiv all 'is might | I |
And 'e 'opes to be fit for another fight | I |
Say Ain't 'e a bit of the real all right | I |
Wot's the matter with Bill | J |
Robert Service
(1)
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