Analysis of A Ship Sails up to Bideford

Herbert Asquith 1881 – 1947



A ship sails up to Bideford;
Upon a western breeze,
Mast by mast, sail over sail,
She rises from the seas,
And sights the hills of Devon
And the misty English trees.

She comes from Eastern islands;
The sun is in her hold;
She bears the fruit of Jaffa,
Dates, oranges and gold;

She brings the silk of China,
And bales of Persian dyes,
And birds with sparkling feathers
And snakes with diamond eyes.

She’s gliding in the starlight
As white as any gull;
The east is gliding with her
In the shadows of her hull.

A ship sails up to Bideford;
Upon a western breeze,
With fruits of Eastern summers
She rises from the seas,
And sights the hills of Devon
And the misty English trees.


Scheme ABxBCB xada defe agxg ABfBCB
Poetic Form
Metre 011111 010101 1111101 110101 0101110 0010101 1111010 011001 1101110 110001 1101110 011101 0111010 011101 110001 111101 0111010 001101 011111 010101 1111010 110101 0101110 0010101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 661
Words 129
Sentences 5
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 4, 4, 4, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 105
Words per stanza (avg) 25
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 28, 2023

38 sec read
90

Herbert Asquith

The Hon. Herbert Asquith was an English poet, novelist and lawyer. more…

All Herbert Asquith poems | Herbert Asquith Books

0 fans

Discuss this Herbert Asquith poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Ship Sails up to Bideford" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19021/a-ship-sails-up-to-bideford>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    9
    hours
    1
    minute

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the 1916 poem "Out, Out—"?
    A Robert Browning
    B Robert Frost
    C Elinor Frost
    D Emily Dickinson