Analysis of Broken Axletree
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
On the Track of Grand Endeavour, on the long track out to Bourke,
Past the Turn-Back, and past Howlong, and the pub at Sudden Jerk,
Past old Bullock-Yoke and Bog Flat, and the “Pinch” at Stick-to-me,
Lies the camp that we have christened—christened “Broken Axletree.”
We were young and strong and fearless, we had not seen Mount Despair,
And the West was to be conquered, and we meant to do our share;
We were far away from cities, and were fairly off the spree
When we camped at Cart Wheel River with a broken axletree.
Oh, the pub at Devil’s Crossing! and the woman that he sent!
And the hell for which we bartered horse and trap and “traps” and tent!
And the black “Since Then”—the chances that we never more may see—
Ah! the two lives that were ruined for a broken axletree!
“Fate” is but a Cart Wheel River, placed to test us by the Lord,
And the Star of Live Forever shines beyond At Blacksmith’s Ford!
Shun all fatalists and “isms”—heed no talk of “destiny”!
Ride a race for life to Blacksmith’s with your broken axletree.
Scheme | AABCCCBC DDBC EEBC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101110101011111 10110110011101 111010110011111 1011111010101 101010101111101 0011111001111101 101011100010101 1111111010101 101110100010111 001111101010101 001110101110111 1011101010101 111011101111101 00111010101111 111000101111100 101111111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic octameter |
Characters | 1,067 |
Words | 192 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 49 |
Words per line (avg) | 12 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 264 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 63 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 78 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Broken Axletree" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17759/broken-axletree>.
Discuss this Henry Lawson poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In