Analysis of The Light on the Wreck
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
Out there by the rocks, at the end of the bank,
In the mouth of the river, the Wanderer sank.
She is resting where meet the blue water and green,
And only her masts and her funnel are seen;
And you see, when is fading the sunset’s last fleck,
On her foremast a lantern—a light on a wreck.
’Tis a light on a wreck, warning ships to beware
Of the drowned iron hull of the Wanderer there;
And the ships that come in and go out in the night
Keep a careful lookout for the Wanderer’s light.
There are rules for the harbour and rules for the wave;
But all captains steer clear of the Wanderer’s grave.
And the stories of strong lives that ended in wrecks
Might be likened to lights over derelict decks;
Like the light where, in sight of the streets of the town,
In the mouth of the channel the Wanderer went down.
Keep a watch from the desk, as they watch from the deck;
Keep a watch from your home for the light on the wreck.
But the lights on the wrecks since creation began
Have been shining in vain for the vagabond clan.
They will never take warning, they will not beware,
For they hold for their mottoes ‘What matter?’ ‘What care?’
And they sail without compass, they sail without check,
Till they steer to their grave ’neath a light on a wreck.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFF GGHHCC IIDDCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101101101 001101001001 111011011001 01001001011 01111100111 10101001101 101101101101 101101101001 001110011001 10101101001 111101001101 111011101001 001011111001 11101110101 101101101101 0011010010011 101101111101 101111101101 101101101001 111001101001 111011011101 11111111011 011011011011 111111101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,253 |
Words | 243 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 40 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 323 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 80 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 51 Views
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