Analysis of a short poem

When I read the poem some questions form in my mind:
What can I say about the distribution of syllables and the
use of rhyme in the poem? What is then, and what is now
in the poem? What can I say about the relationship between
Adam and Eve, the first contrast in the poem? What can I say
about the words toiled and span, the second contrast in the
poem? What is a gentleman in this context? What is the
relationship between the gentleman on the one hand and
Adam and Eve on the other hand, the third contrast in the
poem? In what kind of a situation was the poem written,
and how is that situation relevant for the interpretation
of the poem?

Regarding the distribution of syllables and rhyme, it is fairly
obvious that span rhymes with man, thereby underscoring
one of the contrasts in the poem. This is the only end rhyme
in the poem, but it is not unreasonable to point out that when
also rhymes with then, stressing the time dimension. In addition,
a case could be made in favour of alliteration. Three out of
twelve words start with a w, and another three words start with
a t. It is likely that the frequency is too great to fall within the law
of probability.  Some of these letters also occur in stressed
syllables. When the poem is read aloud, stress will normally be
placed on the first syllable of Adam, the first syllable of toiled and
the words Eve, span, where, then and (gentle)man. The
distribution of stressed syllables consequently highlights the
contrasts in the poem.

What is now, and what is then in the poem?
In the poem then refers to really ancient times.
Since Adam toiled, it cannot be the time of the garden of Eden.
He had obviously been expelled, but he was still alive and working.
The then of the poem is the time of Adam and Eve, and the implied
now is the time of the gentleman, a novelty when contrasted with the
situation of the first human beings.

What about the Adam and Eve relationship?
Adam and Eve are the names of the first human beings in the Bible.
The use of those names is a clear-cut case of intertextuality. It is
reasonable to assume that the poet has tried to borrow authority
from the Bible. The Bible says how the order of things ought to be. In the
poem, Adam and Eve are present as a couple, but the differences between
them are also stressed.

What about the words toiled and span?
These words emphasize traditional gender roles. The word toiled
is related to tool, so it could even be claimed that Adam represents
culture while Eve represents nature. Such a claim would however
be open to criticism since it is impossible to spin without tools.

Who or what is the gentleman in the poem?
In everyday usage, the term gentleman is roughly synonymous to
a polite man. It does not seem to be reasonable to claim that the
poet is complaining over the lack of polite men in the earliest days
of humanity. It is more likely that the term in the poem refers to the
nobility in more recent history.

What about his relation to Adam and Eve?
If the gentleman is a member of the nobility, it is reasonable to
view his relationship to Adam and Eve as a class struggle in miniature.
The implicit point of the poem is that the gentleman was not a part
of God's creation.

In what kind of a situation was it written?
An older form of the poem became known during a peasant revolt
in late medieval times. The chartist movement and early socialists used
'a modernized version in the 1800s. The origin of the poem as well as its
use stresses the class struggle and the theological points that can be
read into it.

In conclusion, it is reasonable to claim that the use of rhyme and the distribution of syllables stresses the important contrasts in the poem,
and that they deal with now versus then, man versus woman, the
world versus the order of God and the nobility versus ordinary people.
It is possible to read it as a socialist poem, but it is equally possible to
read it as a sexist one, a criticism often levelled against early socialists.
