Analysis of Farewell
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
Farewell! Oh how hard and how sad 'tis to speak
That last word of parting—forever to break
The fond ties and affection that cling round the heart
From home and from friends and from country to part.
'Though it grieves to remember, 'tis vain to regret.
The sad word must be spoken, and memory's spell
Now steals o'er me sadly. Farewell! Oh farewell!
Farewell to thy green hills, thy valleys and plains,
My poor blighted country! In exile and chains
Are the sons doomed to linger. Of God who didst bring
Thy children to Zion from Egypt's proud king,
We implore Thy great mercy! Oh stretch forth Thy hand,
And guide back her sons to their poor blighted land.
Never more thy fair face am I destined to see;
E'en the savage loves home, but 'tis crime to love thee.
God bless thee, dear Erin, my loved one, my own,
Oh! how hard 'tis these tendrils to break that have grown
Round my heart. But 'tis over, and memory's spell
Now stears o'er me sadly. Farewell! Oh, Farewell!
Scheme | XXAAXBB CCDDEE FFGG BB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111011111 11111001011 011001011101 11011011011 111101011101 0111110011 1110110111 1111111001 1110100101 101111011111 11011011011 101111011111 01101111101 101111111011 1101011111111 11111011111 11111111111 1111110011 1110110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 958 |
Words | 180 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 6, 4, 2 |
Lines Amount | 19 |
Letters per line (avg) | 39 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 187 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 54 Views
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"Farewell" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 7 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22000/farewell>.
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