Analysis of Ring the Bell, Watchman!

Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)



High is the belfry the old sexton stands,
Grasping the rope with his thin bony hands;
Fix'd is his gaze, as by some magic spell,
Till he hears the distant murmmer,
Ring, ring the bell.

"Ring the bell, watchman! ring! ring! ring!
Yes, yes! the good news is now on the wing;
Yes, yes! they come, and with tidings to tell --
Glorious and blessed tidings --
Ring, ring the bell!"

Baring his long silver locks to the breeze,
First for a moment he drops on his knees;
Then with a rigor that few could excel,
Answers the welcome bidding,
Ring, ring the bell.

Hear! from the hilltop, the first signal gun
Thunders the word that some great deed is done;
Hear! thru' the valley the long echoes swell,
Ever and anon repeating,
Ring, ring the bell.

Bonfires are blazing and rockets ascend --
No meager triumphs such tokens portend;
Shout, shout! my brothers, for "all, all is well!"
'Tis the universal chorus,
Ring, ring the bell.


Scheme aabxB ccbxB ddbcB eebcB ffbxB
Poetic Form
Metre 1101001101 1001111101 1111111101 1110101 1101 10110111 1101111101 1111011011 1000110 1101 1011101101 1101011111 1101011101 1001010 1101 110101101 1001111111 1101001101 1001010 1101 1011001001 1101011001 1111011111 1001010 1101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 902
Words 171
Sentences 16
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 139
Words per stanza (avg) 33
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

51 sec read
64

Henry Clay Work

Henry Clay Work was an American composer and songwriter. more…

All Henry Clay Work poems | Henry Clay Work Books

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