Analysis of Liberty Enlightening the World

Henry Van Dyke 1852 (Germantown, Pennsylvania) – 1933 (Princeton, New Jersey)



Thou warden of the western gate, above Manhatten Bay,
The fogs of doubt that hid thy face are driven clean away:
Thine eyes at last look far and clear, thou liftest high thy hand
To spread the light of liberty world-wide for every land.

No more thou dreamest of a peace reserved alone for thee,
While friends are fighting for thy cause beyond the guardian sea:
The battle that they wage is thine; thou fallest if they fall;
The swollen flood of Prussian pride will sweep unchecked o'er all.

O cruel is the conquer-lust in Hohenzollern brains;
The paths they plot to gain their goal are dark with shameful stains:
No faith they keep, no law revere, no god but naked Might; --
They are the foemen of mankind. Up, Liberty, and smite!

Britain, and France, and Italy, and Russia newly born,
Have waited for thee in the night. Oh, come as comes the morn.
Serene and strong and full of faith, America, arise,
With steady hope and mighty help to join th brave Allies.

O dearest country of my heart, home of the high desire,
Make clean thy soul for sacrifice on Freedom's altar-fire:
For thou must suffer, thou must fight, until the warlords cease,
And all the peoples lift their heads in liberty and peace.


Scheme AABB CCDD EEXB FFGG HHII
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 110101010111 01111111110101 1111110111111 110111001111001 1111101010111 111101110101001 0101111111111 010111011101101 11010101011 01111111111101 11111101111101 1101111110001 10010100010101 11011001111101 01010111010001 110101011111110 110101111101010 11111101101010 1111011101011 01010111010001
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,206
Words 219
Sentences 9
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 47
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 188
Words per stanza (avg) 43
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:06 min read
117

Henry Van Dyke

Henry Jackson van Dyke was an American author, educator, and clergyman. more…

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