Analysis of Hong-Kong Lyrics
I
AT anchor in that harbour of the island,
The Chinese Gate,
We lay where, terraced under green-clad highland,
The Sea-town sate.
Ships, steamers, sailers, many a flag and nation,
A motley crew,
Junks, sampans, all East's swarming jubilation,
I watched and knew.
Then, as I stood, sweet sudden sounds out-swelling
On the boon breeze,
The church-bells' chiming echoes rang out, telling
Of inland peace.
O English Chimes, your music rising and falling
I cannot praise,
Although to me it come sweet-sad, recalling
Dear childish days.
Yet, English Chimes — last links of chains that sever,
Worn out and done,
That Land and Creed that I have left for ever —
Ring on, ring on!
II
There is much in this sea-way City
I have not met with before,
But one or two things I notice
That I seem to have known of yore.
In the lovely tropical verdure,
In the streets, behold I can
The hideous English Buildings
And the brutal English Man!
III
I stand and watch the Soldiers
Marching up and down,
Above the fresh green Cricket-ground
Just outside the town.
I stand and watch and wonder
When in the English land
This poor fool Tommy Atkins
Will learn and understand?
Zulus, and Boers, and Arabs,
All fighting to be free,
Men and women and children,
Maimed and murdered has he.
In India and in Ireland
He's held the People down,
While the robber English Gentleman
Took pound and penny and crown.
To make him false to his Order,
What was it that they gave —
To make him his brother's oppressor?
The clothes and soul of a slave!
O thou poor fool, Tommy Atkins,
Thou wilt be wise that day
When, with eager eyes and clenched teeth,
Thou risest up to say:
'This is our well-loved England,
And I'll free it if I can,
From every rotten Shop-keeper,
And played-out Gentleman!'
IV
'Happy Valley'
('This is the love of Nature, that the same peace awaits us all')
There is a valley green that lies
'Mid hills, the summer's bower.
The many-coloured butterflies
Flutter from flower to flower.
And round one lush green side of it,
In gardened homes are laid,
With grief and care compassionate,
The People of the Dead.
There all the voicing summer day
They sing, the happy rills.
No noisy sound awakes away
The echoes of the hills.
Scheme | ABCBCDEDEFGFHFIFIJDJKALMNMEOPOAQRSRJTUTVLDLBRDRJWJWUXYXBOJDWLZ1 J1 J2 3 4 5 XGX6 |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 11001101010 0011 11110101110 0111 11011001010 0101 1101110010 1101 11111101110 1011 0111101110 111 110111010010 1101 1111111010 1101 11011111110 1101 11011111110 1111 1 111011110 1111101 11111110 11111111 00101001 0010111 01001010 0010101 1 1101010 10101 01011101 11101 1101010 100101 1111010 11001 1001010 110111 1010010 101011 010000100 110101 101010100 1101001 11111110 111111 111110010 0101101 11111010 111111 11101011 11111 11101110 0111111 110010110 011100 1 1010 110111010110111 11010111 1101010 0101010 10110110 01111111 010111 11010100 010101 11010101 110101 1101101 010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,137 |
Words | 398 |
Sentences | 20 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 74 |
Lines Amount | 74 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,706 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 395 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:01 min read
- 106 Views
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"Hong-Kong Lyrics" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/14023/hong-kong-lyrics>.
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