Analysis of Zaza, The Female Slave



O, my country, my country!
How long I for thee,
Far over the mountain,
Far over the sea.
Where the sweet Joliba,
Kisses the shore,
Say, shall I wander
By thee never more?
Where the sweet Joliba kisses the shore,
Say, shall I wander by thee never more.

Say, O fond Zurima,
Where dost thou stay?
Say, doth another
List to thy sweet lay?
Say, doth the orange still
Bloom near our cot?
Zurima, Zurima,
Am I forgot?
O, my country, my country, how long I for thee,
Far over the mountain, far over the sea.

Under the baobab
Oft have I slept,
Fanned by sweet breezes
That over me swept.
Often in dreams
Do my weary limbs lay
'Neath the same baobab,
Far, far away.
O, my country, my country, how long I for thee,
Far over the mountain, far over the sea.

O, for the breath
Of our own waving palm,
Here, as I languish,
My spirit to calm-
O, for a draught
From our own cooling lake,
Brought by sweet mother,
My spirit to wake.
O, my country, my country, how long I for thee,
Far over the mountain, far over the sea.


Scheme aaxabcdccc efdfxgegAA bhxhxfbfAA xexexidiAA
Poetic Form Tetractys  (40%)
Etheree  (35%)
Metre 1110110 11111 110010 11001 1011 1001 11110 11101 10111001 1111011101 1111 1111 11010 11111 110101 11101 11 1101 111011011111 11001011001 1001 1111 11110 11011 1001 111011 1011 1101 111011011111 11001011001 1101 1101101 11110 11011 1101 1101101 11110 11011 111011011111 11001011001
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 972
Words 198
Sentences 15
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 10, 10, 10, 10
Lines Amount 40
Letters per line (avg) 19
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 188
Words per stanza (avg) 49
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
226

Discuss this Anonymous Americas poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Zaza, The Female Slave" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3549/zaza%2C-the-female-slave>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    8
    hours
    32
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Test, “Sunshine cannot _____ the snow, Nor time unmake what poets know.
    A leach
    B bleach
    C beseech
    D reach