Analysis of Rule Britannia
James Thomson 1700 (Port Glasgow) – 1748 (London)
When Britain first, at Heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sung this strain:
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall:
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke:
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine:
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair:
Blest isle! with matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves."
Scheme | ababCC dedeCC fgfgCC hihiCC bjbjCC klklCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110111001 01110101 11010101 010010111 10100101 1010111 01011111 10111101 11110101 01010111 10100101 1010111 11010111 11011101 10111101 11111101 10100101 1010111 11010111 11011111 110111001 11110101 10100101 1010111 11010101 11011101 11110011 010011101 10100101 1010111 01011101 11110101 1111101 01011101 10100101 1010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,252 |
Words | 224 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 165 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 36 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 71 Views
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"Rule Britannia" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20602/rule-britannia>.
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