Analysis of Liberty

John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)



I am Liberty-God's daughter!
      My symbols-a law and a torch;
    Not a sword to threaten slaughter,
    Nor a flame to dazzle or scorch;
    But a light that the world may see,
    And a truth that shall make men free.

I am the sister of Duty,
      And I am the sister of Faith;
    To-day adored for my beauty,
      To-morrow led forth for death.
    I am she whom ages prayed for;
    Heroes suffered undismayed for;
    Whom the martyrs were betrayed for.


Scheme ABABCC CXCXDDD
Poetic Form
Metre 11100110 11001001 10111010 10111011 10110111 00111111 11010110 01101011 11011110 1101111 11111011 101011 10100011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 464
Words 81
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 7
Lines Amount 13
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 159
Words per stanza (avg) 40
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
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John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

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