Analysis of The Ballad of Tanna
Henry Kendall 1839 (Australia) – 1882 (Sydney)
She knelt by the dead, in her passionate grief,
Beneath a weird forest of Tanna;
She kissed the stern brow of her father and chief,
And cursed the dark race of Alkanna.
With faces as wild as the clouds in the rain,
The sons of Kerrara came down to the plain,
And spoke to the mourner and buried the slain.
Oh, the glory that died with Deloya!
'Wahina,' they whispered, 'Alkanna lies low,
And the ghost of thy sire hath been gladdened,
For the men of his people have fought with the foe
Till the rivers of Warra are reddened!'
She lifted her eyes to the glimmering hill,
Then spoke, with a voice like a musical rill,
'The time is too short; can I sojourn here still?'
Oh, the Youth that was sad for Deloya!
'Wahina, why linger,' Annatanam said,
'When the tent of a chieftain is lonely?
There are others who grieve for the light that has fled,
And one who waits here for you only!'
'Go - leave me!' she cried. 'I would fain be alone;
I must stay where the trees and the wild waters moan;
For my heart is as cold as a wave-beaten stone.'
Oh, the Beauty that was broke for Deloya!
'Wahina, why weep o'er a handful of dust,
When the souls of the brave are approaching?
Oh, look to the fires that are lit for the just,
And the mighty who sleep in Arrochin!'
But she turned from the glare of the flame-smitten sea,
And a cry, like a whirlwind, came over the lea -
'Away to the mountains and leave her with me!'
Oh, the heart that was broke for Deloya!
Scheme | ABABBBBC DEDEFFFC EGEGBBBC EXEBGGGC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101001001 01011011 11011101001 0101111 11011101001 011111101 01101001001 10101111 1110111 0011110111 101111011101 10101111 11001101001 11101101001 01111111011 10111111 111011 1011010110 111011101111 011111110 11111111101 111101001101 111111101101 101011111 111100111 1011011010 111010111101 00101101 111101101101 00110111001 01101001011 10111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,421 |
Words | 290 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 274 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 70 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:24 min read
- 92 Views
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"The Ballad of Tanna" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17573/the-ballad-of-tanna>.
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