Analysis of The Fire Bells Are Ringing
Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)
One, two, three--hark, hark, boys!
One, two, three, four!
The fire-bells are ringing, this wild wintry night;
They ask aid from District Thirty-four,
There somebody's riches are now taking flight;
On flame-wings away, away they soar.
But hark!
With shriek and wail,
How raves the gale!
Like demon steeds it speeds--
like galloping gangs from Pandemonium hurl'd.
Yes, firemen, take courage! did valiant deeds avail,
Then you were the victors of the world.
Ring the bells again!
Wake the electric wire!
And flash abroad the warning words--
"FIRE! FIRE!"
God save the city! for man's devices fail
When fierce flames with wintry winds conspire,
But hark!
With shriek and wail (With shriek and wail!)
How raves the gale! (How raves the gale!)
Like demon steeds it speeds--
like galloping gangs from Pandemonium hurl'd.
Yes, firemen, take courage! did valiant deeds avail,
Then your were the victors of the world.
One, two, three--hark, hark, boys!
One, two, three, four!
The fire-bells are ringing, an urgent appeal;
The engines go dashing by the door,
All safe here, children, no fear need we feel;
But God help in District Thirty-four,
What's that?
Look there! look there!
A lurid glare
Lights up the sky--aye, aye!
and columns of red, devouring flame appear.
And see! for departure our neighbors prepare;
Perchance there is danger even here.
One, two, three--hark, hark, boys!
One, two, three, four!
The fire-bells are ringing, a last grand alarm;
How vast must the conflagration be!
Our own roof is blazing! yet where, free from harm,
Oh! where shall we our treasures flee?
Let's haste!
'Twill fall! 'Twill fall--
That granite wall;
I see it crumbling, tumbling!
Fly for your lives, from out this fiery grave!
Laid low, crush'd, buried are some beyond recall;
But thank God! my little flock I save.
Scheme | ABcbcbDeeFGEg xhxhehDeeFGEg ABibibxjjxxjx ABklklxmmxnmn |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111111 1111 010111011101 111110101 1101011101 111010111 11 1101 1101 110111 11001101001 110110110101 110010101 10101 1001010 01010101 1010 11010110101 1111101010 11 11011101 11011101 110111 11001101001 110110110101 110010101 111111 1111 010111011001 010110101 1111011111 111010101 11 1111 0101 110111 010110100101 011010101001 011110101 111111 1111 010111001101 11100101 101111011111 111110101 11 1111 1101 111100100 11111111001 1111011011 111110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,754 |
Words | 305 |
Sentences | 42 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 13, 13, 13, 13 |
Lines Amount | 52 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 342 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 75 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 99 Views
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"The Fire Bells Are Ringing" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17293/the-fire-bells-are-ringing>.
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