Analysis of The Pilot That Weath'd The Storm
George Canning 1770 (Marylebone, Middlesex) – 1827 (Chiswick, Middlesex)
If hush'd the loud whirlwind that ruffled the deep,
The sky, if no longer dark tempests deform;
When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?
No!--Here's to the Pilot who weather'd the storm!
At the foot-stool of Power let flattery fawn,
Let Faction her idols extol to the skies;
To virtue in humble resentment withdrawn,
Unblam'd may the merits of gratitude rise.
And shall not His memory to Britain be dear,
Whose example with envy all nations behold;
A Statesman unbiass'd by int'rest or fear,
By pow'r uncorrupted, untainted by gold?
Who, when terror and doubt thro' the universe reign'd,
While rapine and treason their standards unfurl'd,
The heart and the hopes of his Country maintain'd,
And one kingdom preserv'd 'midst the wreck of the world.
Unheeding, unthankful, we bask in the blaze,
While the beams of the sun in full majesty shine;
When he sinks into twilight, with fondness we gaze,
And mark the mild lustre that gilds his decline.
Lo! Pitt, when the course of thy greatness is o'er,
Thy talents, thy virtues, we fondly recall!
Now justly we prize thee, when lost we deplore;
Admir'd in thy zenith, but lov'd in thy fall!
O! take, then--for dangers by wisdom repell'd,
For evils, by courage and constancy brav'd--
O take! for a throne by thy counsels upheld,
The thanks of a people thy firmness has sav'd!
And O! if again the rude whirlwind should rise!
The dawning of Peace should fresh darkness deform,
The regrets of the good, and the fears of the wise,
Shall turn to the Pilot that weather'd the storm!
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ XKXK LMLM DBDB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 1101111001 011110111 1101011110101 11101011001 101111011001 11001001101 11001001001 110101101 011110011011 101011011001 01011111 111101011 11100110101 1101011001 01001111001 011001101101 1111001 101101011001 11101111011 01011011101 111011110110 1101101101 11011111101 010011011011 11111011001 11011001001 11101111001 01101011011 0110101111 0101111101 001101001101 11101011001 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,522 |
Words | 269 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 148 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:26 min read
- 72 Views
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"The Pilot That Weath'd The Storm" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14829/the-pilot-that-weath%27d-the-storm>.
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