LA poem

Fast rode the knight by Stephen Crane
Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knIght,
And leaped from saddle to war.
Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.
. . . . .
A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.
A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.

"With spurs hot and reeking" is a metaphor, and is used to describe the eagerness of the knight to do battle, and the speed which he rode his horse.
In "ever waving an eager sword", personification is used, as the sword cannot be eager, but instead describes the excitement of the knight to rescue his lady and to fight, as well as his condition, and depicting a good attitude of the knight.
In "leaped from saddle to war", probably a a hyperbole, it is used to decribe the knight fighting upon his horse, thus from the saddle to war. This is probably used to discribe his enthusiasm, fighting upon his horse.
In "Men of steel flickered and gleam", a metaphor, the poet describes the soldiers against the knight as Men of steel, referring to men in armour, though Men of steel is probably used to illustrate the strength of the knights enemies, as well as the challenge the knight needs to fight, With the simile "flickered and gleam, like a riot of silver lights", to illustrate the good condition of the troops with the shining armour, and the number and strength the knight had to get through by using the riot of silver lights.
In "and the gold of the knight's good banner, Still waved on a castle wall.", is a symbol, which represents that the knight had won and was in a good condition, as the gold of the knight's good banner refers to the condition of the knight himself, and a conclusion can be drawn that the knight had won.
In "Blowing, staggering, bloody thing" a hyperbole, is used to depict how badly hurt the horse is, and left at the foot of castle wall is to show how it is forgotten when the knight meets his aims. This is used to exaggerate the fact that the knight ignores the horse even when it helped him to gain his aims.
The horse is also a symbol of the loss of the war, and how it is not taken care of when the knight reaches his lady.

The poem shows how the knight, or the master, cares only for meeting his aims and not for the welfare of those who helped the knight to achieve it, showing the knights selfish character. I like this poem as it describes the knight as a legend, a hero, but then shows how its horse is left abandoned after the knight reaches his goals. The knight, only concerned for his lady, let the horse die at the foot of the castle wall after it served it's purpose. Thus it shows that though the knight is the hero in the poem, he is not all that good, displaying characteristic flaws in his ignorance of the plight of his horse. The title of poem, Fast rode the knight, is quite an irony, whence the horse serves the knight faithfully and helps him achieve his goals, and yet is left abandoned once it serves its purpose.