Analysis of The Legend of Mammon Castle
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
IN THE days that will be olden after many years are gone,
Ere the world emerged from darkness floating out into the dawn,
On a mountain rising steeply from the depth of marsh and wood
Raised in scorn above the lowlands Mammon Castle proudly stood—
Mammon Castle, built of marble that was cut and reared with pain
By the poor and starving wretches who were serfs on that domain—
All the jewel-studded windows shone at sunset like a fire,
And a diamond was flashing from the needle of the spire.
Now the nobles held the castle by a title that was old,
And they drank from crystal goblets and they ate from plates of gold;
The coffers of the castle they were plenished by the thralls,
And many were the revels that were held in Mammon’s halls.
And the plunder from the toilers more than paid for silks and wine,
So the flower-beds were bordered with the jewels of the mine,
All the serfs were taught to worship both the lady and the lord,
And the nobles taught their children to be wiser far than God.
But a vassal preached sedition and in a gloomy hour
Came the wild and haggard vassals to the gate of Mammon Tower;
They asked for food and shelter and were answered by a blow,
And, rising in their anger, soon they laid the castle low.
The jewels of the castle went to buy the people bread,
And according to his labour was the toiler clothed and fed.
And with the wood and marble—my dreaming tells me so—
Many little homes were builded in the valleys down below.
Scheme | AABB CCDX EEFF GGXX DDHH IIFH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (67%) |
Metre | 001111101010111 101011101010101 101010101011101 1010101110101 11011101110111 10101011011101 101010101111010 00101101010101 101010101010111 01111010111111 0101010101101 0100010101011 00101011111101 101010101010101 101011101010001 001011101110111 101010100001010 101010101011110 11110100010101 01001101110101 01010101110101 0010111101101 0101010110111 10101010010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 1,455 |
Words | 275 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 48 |
Words per line (avg) | 11 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 193 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:22 min read
- 91 Views
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