Foundations of the State
Observe, dear Lord, what lively pranksAre played by sentimental cranks!First this one mounts his hinder hoofsAnd brays the chimneys off the roofs;Then that one, with exalted voice,Expounds the thesis of his choice,Our understandings to bombard,Till all the window panes are starred!A third augments the vocal shockTill steeples to their bases rock,Confessing, as they humbly nod,They hear and mark the will of God.A fourth in oral thunder ventsHis awful penury of senseTill dogs with sympathetic howls,And lowing cows, and cackling fowls,Hens, geese, and all domestic birds,Attest the wisdom of his words.Cranks thus their intellects deflateOf theories about the State.This one avers 'tis built on Truth,And that on Temperance. This youthDeclares that Science bears the pile;That graybeard, with a holy smile,Says Faith is the supporting stone;While women swear that Love aloneCould so unflinchingly endureThe heavy load. And some are sureThe solemn vow of Christian WedlockIs the indubitable bedrock.
Physicians once about the bedOf one whose life was nearly spedBlew up a disputatious breezeAbout the cause of his disease:This, that and t' other thing they blamed."Tut, tut!" the dying man exclaimed,"What made me ill I do not care;You've not an ounce of it, I'll swear.And if you had the skill to make itI'd see you hanged before I'd take it!"
Words in this poem
- sentimental a.
- Having, expressing, or containing a sentiment or sentiments; abounding with moral reflections; containing a moral reflection; didactic. [Cf. F. sentimental.]
- thesis n.
- A position or proposition which a person advances and offers to maintain, or which is actually maintained by argument. [L., fr. Gr. Do, and cf. Anathema, Apothecary, Epithet, Hypothesis, Parenthesis, Theme, Tick a cover.]
- bombard n.
- A piece of heavy ordnance formerly used for throwing stones and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon. [F. bombarde, LL. bombarda, fr. L. bombus + -ard. Cf. Bumper, and see Bomb.]
- starred a.
- Adorned or studded with stars; bespangled. [From Star.]
- humbly adv.
- With humility; lowly.
- penury n.
- Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. [L. penuria; cf. Gr. pénurie.]
- lowing n.
- The calling sound made by cows and other bovine animals.
- cackling n.
- The broken noise of a goose or a hen.
- attest v. t.
- To bear witness to; to certify; to affirm to be true or genuine; as, to attest the truth of a writing, a copy of record. [L. attestari; ad + testari to bear witness: cf. F. attester.]
- deflate v. t.
- To reduce from an inflated condition. [Pref. de- down + L. flare, flatus to blow.]
- disputatious a.
- Inclined to dispute; apt to civil or controvert; characterized by dispute; as, a disputatious person or temper.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Foundations of the State is in the public domain. This text is taken from Shapes of Clay (1903), Project Gutenberg ebook #12658; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ambrose Bierce, Foundations of the State, in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/foundations-of-the-state.html, id L28171.
Form and metre
Foundations of the State is 40 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOO pranksA · cranksA · hoofsB · roofsB · voiceC · choiceC · bombardD · starredD · shockE · rockE · nodF · godF · ventsG · senseG · howlsH · fowlsH · birdsI · wordsI · deflateJ · stateJ · truthK · youthK · pileL · smileL · stoneM · aloneM · endureN · sureN · wedlockO · bedrockO
- 2 AABBCCDDEE bedA · spedA · breezeB · diseaseB · blamedC · exclaimedC · careD · swearD · itE · itE
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Observe, dear Lord, what lively pranks | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Are played by sentimental cranks! | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| First this one mounts his hinder hoofs | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And brays the chimneys off the roofs; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Then that one, with exalted voice, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Expounds the thesis of his choice, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Our understandings to bombard, | 8 | /˘˘/˘·˘/ |
| Till all the window panes are starred! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A third augments the vocal shock | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Till steeples to their bases rock, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Confessing, as they humbly nod, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| They hear and mark the will of God. | 8 | ········ |
| A fourth in oral thunder vents | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| His awful penury of sense | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| Till dogs with sympathetic howls, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| And lowing cows, and cackling fowls, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Hens, geese, and all domestic birds, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Attest the wisdom of his words. | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Cranks thus their intellects deflate | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Of theories about the State. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| This one avers 'tis built on Truth, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| And that on Temperance. This youth | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Declares that Science bears the pile; | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| That graybeard, with a holy smile, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Says Faith is the supporting stone; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| While women swear that Love alone | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Could so unflinchingly endure | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The heavy load. And some are sure | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The solemn vow of Christian Wedlock | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/· |
| Is the indubitable bedrock. | 9 | ··˘/˘˘˘/· |
| Physicians once about the bed | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| Of one whose life was nearly sped | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Blew up a disputatious breeze | 8 | ········ |
| About the cause of his disease: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| This, that and t' other thing they blamed. | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| "Tut, tut!" the dying man exclaimed, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| "What made me ill I do not care; | 8 | ········ |
| You've not an ounce of it, I'll swear. | 8 | ········ |
| And if you had the skill to make it | 9 | ········· |
| I'd see you hanged before I'd take it!" | 9 | ········· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.