This poem is killing me.

[Edwig]

I'm trying to analyse the poem entitled "The Burning of the Temple" by Isaac Rosenberg. I've said "I'm trying" because I cannot figure out what kind of meter did the author use in some parts of the poem. If I'm not mistaken, I would say that he used mainly a iambic trimeter (almost certainly for the first three lines of each stanza), but I have serious doubts for the forth and fifth line of each stanza (maybe because I'm not a native English speaker).

Fierce wrath of Solomon
Where sleepest thou? O see
The fabric which thou won
Earth and ocean to give thee---
O look at the red skies.

Or hath the sun plunged down?
What is this molten gold---
These thundering fires blown
Through heaven---where the smoke rolled.
Again the great king dies.

His dreams go out in smoke,
His days he let not pass
And sculptured here are broke,
Are charred as the burnt grass
Gone as his mouth's last sighs.


(Also, a bit of help with the interpretation would be great).
Could you please help me with this?

[MorpheusSandman]

Normally we don't help with homework around here, but I think you shouldn't feel bad about struggling with the meter here because it's inconsistent, and you correctly pointed out where it's inconsistent. It is mostly, indeed, in iambic trimeter, but each 4th and 5th line has variations, but even the variations aren't consistent! I'm not sure what meter to call "Earth and ocean to give thee." It's mostly trochaic trimeter (EARTH and / Ocean / to GIVE thee), but that extra syllable of "to" throws off the meter and makes it an amphibrach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibrach) (though in English you'd probably just call it a hyper-metrical substitution). As for interpretation, all I'd suggest is to look up the story of Solomon and go from there.

[Edwig]

Thanks a lot! I was quite desperate, that's why I thought I could try and ask you. Well, thanks again.

[Calidore]

Just to clarify what Morpheus said, help in the form of nudges and feedback is no problem. It's people asking us to actually do their homework for them that gets aggravating.

[Edwig]

Ah, okay, thanks. As I've already said, I'm not a native English speaker, so I may have written the question wrongly. But yes, I was just trying to figure out how those lines worked (and I also wanted some hints for the interpretation).
Anyway, thanks again, you've been very helpful!

[JBI]

We cal that a rather loose ballad metre.

[virtuoso]

I do not understand the condescending attitude of some of our lil nutters. If a person has a question about form or style, then lend a helping hand. The discussion on these forums does not always have to be enlightening. If you think that it is below your, educated level to comment on a particular query, then let a more gracious member respond to it.

[MorpheusSandman]

virtuoso, what condescension are you talking about? A lot of people are given homework assignments, come here, sign up, copy the questions as they appear on their homework, and then want us to do the work for them. The reason I helped Edwig out, and I mentioned this in my first post, is because he had clearly done some work (on figuring out the meter) and was simply confused about a particular aspect. He wasn't just asking us to do his homework. I don't know what about any of this is "condescension." I've written very lengthy posts before trying to explain certain forms to people who were merely asking out of curiosity, like in this thread (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?72711-Iambs-and-lexical-stress-%28ignorant-questions%29), but in that thread the person wasn't even asking based on a homework assignment.

[virtuoso]

What does it matter if its a homework assignment or not. Are some of the more educated members on this site not scholarly resources? You do not have to give them a critical review or essay. Just answer their questions in a general manner. Or, you can give them resource suggestions. A lot of lil nutters do that.

[MorpheusSandman]

Well, you didn't really address the question about why anything in this thread was "condescension." However, you can't give them "general answers" when they're asking specific questions copied from a homework assignment. EG, if Edwig had asked "please analyze this poem's meter," I would not have helped, because that would've been just DOING his homework. I may give him a link to a website explaining meter (but any teacher would've already explained this as they don't just give out an assignment without first teaching the relevant concepts), but that's it. However, when Edwig said: "I would say that he used mainly a iambic trimeter... but I have serious doubts for the forth and fifth line of each stanza (maybe because I'm not a native English speaker)." it was clear he had DONE the work and was simply struggling with certain confusing lines. In such a situation, I'm more than happy to help because the poster has clearly already worked on it, and, after reading it myself, I could understand WHY he was confused (because those lines did, indeed, disrupt the established meter). See the difference?

[JBI]

What does it matter if its a homework assignment or not. Are some of the more educated members on this site not scholarly resources? You do not have to give them a critical review or essay. Just answer their questions in a general manner. Or, you can give them resource suggestions. A lot of lil nutters do that.

Sorry Mr. Self righteous, but this isn't a "go find people to answer my homework for me and never return" website. If you want to feel good about yourself and do others' work for them, so be it, but don't hold it against someone for feeling a bit annoyed when someone comes deliberately to use them. As you say, some people can help, which is true, however why should they help someone who offers them absolutely nothing but the assured plagiarism of the views posted here. I have actually answered a classmate once on here, to see my own opinions being presented in class (at which point I asked some very hard counter questions that ripped my own argument to bits).

In general, it is rude to use people, and now you are crying that someone is surly toward such attempts. This is a literature discussion forum, not a "come find people with nothing better to do than do your homework for you" forum. By general rule, if the poster does not attempt to answer the questions themselves, and only then ask for clarity, the responder feels offended, which is the natural reaction on these forums, given that they are being fed spam.

[virtuoso]

JBI, self righteous is not when you give people a collegial, friendly response. It is blowing them off in the pretense of not doing their homework. You can discuss the topic in a general manner with them. Ask for their opinions, then, if you find that they are sponges, and do not want to intellectually explore the parameters of a subject; you can politely tell them that they need a little more information before submitting a query. You do not automatically know that a poster is inquiring for their homework. Do not dismiss them outright.

[MorpheusSandman]

You do not automatically know that a poster is inquiring for their homework.Clues this is what they're doing:

1. They admit it (this happens frequently)
2. The questions are phrased like textbook questions (I've read about 8 different poetry textbooks, so I know how questions are phrased)
3. This is their very first post
4. They have zero input on the questions being asked

Because Edwig actually offered input on the questions we were willing to help. The difference between "helping" and "doing their work for them" should be clear.