Analysis of All's Well
Francis William Bourdillon 1852 (Runcorn) – 1921
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
The heavens are dark, and never a light
But the far-off flicker of Hell.
But the steed is in the stall,
Unsleeping;
And the warder on the wall,
Watch-keeping;
And the granary is stored,
And ready gun and sword.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well!
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
The wind blows fierce, and the foam flies white,
And the waters moan and swell.
But the foes to haven keep,
Safe hiding;
And our ships are on the deep,
Sure riding;
And the gallant hearts on board
Keep ceaseless watch and ward.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well!
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
There are widows weeping, and babes affright,
And a ceaseless burial bell.
But the hand that holds the gun
Still shakes not;
And the line drops one by one,
Yet breaks not.
Of the blood so nobly poured
There shall surely be reward.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well
Scheme | ABabcdcdeeEB ABabfdfdeeEB ABabghgheeEB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10101101 110111 0101101001 10111011 1011001 1 0010101 110 00111 010101 001101 11 10101101 110111 011100111 0010101 1011101 110 01011101 110 0010111 110101 001101 11 10101101 110111 111010011 00101001 1011101 111 0011111 111 1011101 1110101 001101 11 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 950 |
Words | 187 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12, 12 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 249 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 62 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 69 Views
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"All's Well" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/13961/all%27s-well>.
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