Analysis of On St. David's Day
James Clerk Maxwell 1831 (Edinburgh, Scotland) – 1879 (Cambridge, England)
To Mrs. E.C. Morrieson
’Twas not chance but deep design,
Tho’ of whom I can't divine
Made the courtly Valentine
(Corpulent saint and bishop)
Such a time with Bob to stay:-—
Let me now in bardish way
On your own St. David’s day
Toss you a simple dish up.
’Tis a tale we learnt at school,—
Oft we broke domestic rule,
Standing till our brows were cool
In the forbidden lobby.
There we talked and there we laughed,
Till the townsfolk thought us daft,
What of that? a thorough draft
Was and is still my hobby.
To my tale: In ancient days,
Ere men left the good old ways,
Lived a lady whose just praise
Passes all fancied glory.
Rich was she in field and store,
Richer in the sons she bore,
How could she be honoured more?
Listen and hear the story.
On a high and festive day
When the chariots bright and gay
To the temple far away
Passed in majestic order,—
When the hour was nigh at hand,
She who should have led the band
Found no oxen at command,
Searching through all her border
Then her two sons brave and strong
Gut their limbs with band and thong,
And before the wondering throng
Drew their exulting mother.
Swift and steady, on they came;
At the temple loud acclaim
Greeted that illustrious dame,
Blest above every other.
Then, while triumph filled her breast,
Loud she prayed above the rest,
Give my sons whatever best
Man may receive from heavers.
To the shrine the brothers stept,
Low they bowed, they sunk, they slept,
Stillness o’er their brave limbs crept:—
Rest was the guerdon given.
Such the simple story told,
By a sage renowned of old,
To a king whose fabled gold
Could not procure him learning.
Heathen was the sage indeed,
Yet his tale we gladly read,
Thro’ his dark and doubtful creed
Glimpses of Truth discerning.
Now no more the altar's blaze
Glares athwart our worldly haze,
Warning men how evil ways
Lead to just tribulation.
Now no more the temple stands,
Pointing out to godless lands
That which is not made with hands,
Even the whole Creation.
Ask no more, then, "what is best,
How shall those you love be blest,"
Ask at once, eternal Rest,
Peace and assurance giving.
Rest of Life and not of death,
Rest in Love and Hope and Faith,
Till the God who gives their breath
Calls them to rest from living.
Scheme | A AAABCCCB DDDEFFFE GGGEHHHE CCCIJJJI KKKILLLI MMMGCNNA OOOPQXQP GGGARRRA MMMPSXSP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011 1111101 1111101 101010 11010 1011111 111011 1111101 1101011 1011111 1110101 10110101 0010010 1110111 101111 1110101 1011110 1110101 1110111 1010111 1011010 1110101 1000111 111111 1001010 1010101 10100101 1010101 1001010 10101111 1111101 1110101 1011010 1011101 1111101 00101001 1101010 1010111 1010101 10101001 10110010 1110101 1110101 111101 110111 1010101 1111111 1011111 110110 1010101 1010111 1011101 1101110 1010101 1111101 1110101 1011010 111011 10110101 1011101 111010 1110101 1011101 1111111 1001010 1111111 1111111 1110101 1001010 1110111 1010101 1011111 1111110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,180 |
Words | 419 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 73 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 174 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:06 min read
- 110 Views
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"On St. David's Day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20064/on-st.-david%27s-day>.
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