Analysis of Farewell



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

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

All John Boyle O'Reilly poems | John Boyle O'Reilly Books

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