Analysis of A Sonnet of Battle
William Gay 1865 (Scotland) – 1897
RELUCTANT Morn, whose meagre radiance lies
With doubtful glimmer on the farthest hills,
How long shall men, reiterant of their ills,
With peevish invocation bid thee rise
To burn to noontide glory in the skies
That now a gloom perplexed and starless fills,
And seek from thee and not their own strong wills
That perfect good which is not bought with sighs?
Why weep and wait for thee, though laggard, Morn,
With all thy joys of love and peace and light?
For us the mightier joy that rives the soul,
When, slaves no longer to a day unborn,
Our flag of war along the dark we unroll
For fell encounter with the hosts of Night.
Scheme | ABBAABBACDECED |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0101111001 1101010101 11111111 110010111 111110001 110101011 0111011111 1011111111 1101111101 1111110101 11010011101 1111010111 10111010111 1101010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 666 |
Words | 117 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 495 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 115 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 98 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Sonnet of Battle" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40597/a-sonnet-of-battle>.
Discuss this William Gay 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