Analysis of A Carrier Song

Francis Thompson 1859 (City of Preston, Lancashire) – 1907 (London)



Since you have waned from us,
Fairest of women!
I am a darkened cage
Song cannot hymn in.
My songs have followed you,
Like birds the summer;
Ah! bring them back to me,
Swiftly, dear comer!
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

Where wings to rustle use,
But this poor tarrier -
Searching my spirit's eaves -
Find I for carrier.
Ah! bring them back to me
Swiftly, sweet comer!
Swift, swift, and bring with you
Song's Indian summer!
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

Whereso your angel is,
My angel goeth;
I am left guardianless,
Paradise knoweth!
I have no Heaven left
To weep my wrongs to;
Heaven, when you went from us;
Went with my songs too.
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

I have no angels left
Now, Sweet, to pray to:
Where you have made your shrine
They are away to.
They have struck Heaven's tent,
And gone to cover you:
Whereso you keep your state
Heaven is pitched over you!
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

She that is Heaven's Queen
Her title borrows,
For that she pitiful
Beareth our sorrows.
So thou, Regina mi,
Spes infirmorum;
With all our grieving crowned
Mater dolorum!
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

Yet, envious coveter
Of other's grieving!
This lonely longing yet
'Scapeth your reaving.
Cruel! to take from a
Sinner his Heaven!
Think you with contrite smiles
To be forgiven?
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!

Penitent! give me back
Angels, and Heaven;
Render your stolen self,
And be forgiven!
How frontier Heaven from you?
For my soul prays, Sweet,
Still to your face in Heaven,
Heaven in your face, Sweet!
Seraphim,
Her to hymn,
Might leave their portals;
And at my feet learn
The harping of mortals!


Scheme abxxcdEdEFGHG xdxdEdcdEFGHG xiaijcacEFGHG jcxcxcxcEFGHG xkxkeexeEFGHG dlxlxbxbEFGHG xbxbcmbmEFGHG
Poetic Form
Metre 111111 10110 110101 11010 111101 11010 111111 10110 1 011 11110 01111 010110 111101 1111 101101 111100 111111 10110 110111 110010 1 011 11110 01111 010110 11101 1101 1111 101 111101 11111 1011111 11111 1 011 11110 01111 010110 111101 11111 111111 11011 111101 011101 11111 1011101 1 011 11110 01111 010110 111101 01010 111100 11010 110101 11 1110101 101 1 011 11110 01111 010110 11001 11010 110101 111 101110 10110 111011 11010 1 011 11110 01111 010110 100111 10010 101101 01010 1011011 11111 1111010 100111 1 011 11110 01111 010110
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,929
Words 367
Sentences 38
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13
Lines Amount 91
Letters per line (avg) 17
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 220
Words per stanza (avg) 51
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:51 min read
37

Francis Thompson

The Rt Rev Francis William Banahene Thompson was Bishop of Accra from 1983 to 1996. more…

All Francis Thompson poems | Francis Thompson Books

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