Complex sentence: The poem, a ballad, describes the execution of a British soldier in India for murder; the execution is viewed by his regiment, on parade to watch it, and the poem is composed of the comments they exchange as they see him hanged.
Split into simpler sentences: The poem, a ballad, describes the execution of a British soldier in India for murder. His execution is viewed by his regiment, on parade to watch it, and the poem is composed of the comments they exchange as they see him hanged.