Analysis of Mayflower
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
THUNDER our thanks to her—guns, hearts and lips!
Cheer from the ranks to her,
Shout from the banks to her—
Mayflower! Foremost and best of our ships.
Mayflower! Twice in the national story
Thy dear name in letters of gold—
Woven in texture that never grows old-
Winning a home and winning glory!
Sailing the years to us, welcomed for aye;
Cherished for centuries, dearest to-day.
Every heart throbs for her, every flag dips—
Mayflower! First and last—best of our ships!
White as a seagull, she swept the long passage,
True as the homing-bird flies with its message.
Love her? O, richer than silk every sail of her.
Trust her? More precious than gold every nail of her.
Write we down faithfully every man's part in her;
Greet we all gratefully every true heart in her.
More than a name to us, sailing the fleetest,
Symbol of that which is purest and sweetest.
More than a keel to us, steering the straightest:
Emblem of that which is freest and greatest.
More than a dove-bosomed sail to the windward:
Flame passing on while the night-clouds fly hindward.
Kiss every plank of her! None shall take rank of her ;
Frontward or weatherward, none can eclipse.
Thunder our thanks to her! Cheer from the banks to her!
Mayflower! Foremost and best of our ships!
Scheme | abbAcddcxxaa eebbbbdfdfxdbabA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10101101101 110110 110110 101011101 1010010010 11101011 1001011011 100101010 1001111011 1011001011 100111010011 1010111101 1101110110 11010111110 1011011100110 1011011100110 1111001001100 1111001001100 1101111001 10111110010 1101111001 10111110010 1101111010 1101101111 1100110111110 1111101 1010110110110 101011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,268 |
Words | 223 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 16 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 490 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 111 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:07 min read
- 73 Views
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"Mayflower" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22026/mayflower>.
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