Analysis of In The Harbour: Becalmed

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)



Becalmed upon the sea of Thought,
Still unattained the land it sought,
My mind, with loosely-hanging sails,
Lies waiting the auspicious gales.

On either side, behind, before,
The ocean stretches like a floor,--
A level floor of amethyst,
Crowned by a golden dome of mist.

Blow, breath of inspiration, blow!
Shake and uplift this golden glow!
And fill the canvas of the mind
With wafts of thy celestial wind.

Blow, breath of song! until I feel
The straining sail, the lifting keel,
The life of the awakening sea,
Its motion and its mystery!


Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 01010111 110111 11110101 11000101 11010101 01010101 01011100 11010111 1110101 10101101 01010101 11110101 11110111 01010101 011001001 11001100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 535
Words 96
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 106
Words per stanza (avg) 23
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
135

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. more…

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