Analysis of Beaten Back
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
BEATEN back in sad dejection,
After years of weary toil
On that burning hot selection
Where the drought has gorged his spoil.
All in vain ’gainst him, the vulture,
I have battled without rest—
In the van of agriculture,
Marching out into the West.
Now the eagle-hawks are feeding
On my perished stock that reek
Where the water-holes receding
Long had left the burning creek.
I must labour without pity—
I the pick and spade must wield
In the streetways of the city
Or upon another’s field!
Can it be my reason’s rocking,
For I feel a burning hate
For the God who, only mocking,
Sent the prayed-for rain too late?
Pour, ye mocking rains, and rattle
On the bare, brown, grassless plain,
On the shrivelled hides of cattle
That shall ne’er want grass again!
Rush, ye yellow floods, to Murray,
Over thirsty creek-banks foam;
And o’er all, ye black clouds, hurry;
Ye can bring not back my home!
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH EIEI JAJA GKGK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (86%) |
Metre | 101011 1011101 11101010 1011111 10111010 1110011 0011100 1010101 10101110 1110111 10101010 1110101 1110110 1010111 0011010 10111 11111010 1110101 10111010 1011111 11101010 101111 1011110 1111101 11101110 1010111 01111110 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 883 |
Words | 161 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 64 Views
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