Analysis of Theirs
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
I.
Fate summoned, in gray-bearded age, to act
A history stranger than his written fact,
Him who portrayed the splendor and the gloom
Of that great hour when throne and altar fell
With long death-groan which still is audible.
He, when around the walls of Paris rung
The Prussian bugle like the blast of doom,
And every ill which follows unblest war
Maddened all France from Finistere to Var,
The weight of fourscore from his shoulders flung,
And guided Freedom in the path he saw
Lead out of chaos into light and law,
Peace, not imperial, but republican,
And order pledged to all the Rights of Man.
II.
Death called him from a need as imminent
As that from which the Silent William went
When powers of evil, like the smiting seas
On Holland's dikes, assailed her liberties.
Sadly, while yet in doubtful balance hung
The weal and woe of France, the bells were rung
For her lost leader. Paralyzed of will,
Above his bier the hearts of men stood still.
Then, as if set to his dead lips, the horn
Of Roland wound once more to rouse and warn,
The old voice filled the air! His last brave word
Not vainly France to all her boundaries stirred.
Strong as in life, he still for Freedom wrought,
As the dead Cid at red Toloso fought.
Scheme | ABBCXXDCEEDFFXX AXXGGDDHHIIJJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1 1100110111 01001011101 1101010001 11110110101 1111111100 1101011101 0101010111 0100111011 1111111 011111101 0101000111 1111001101 11010010100 0101110111 1 1111011100 1111010101 1101101011 1101010100 1011010101 0101110101 101101011 0111011111 1111111101 1101111101 0111011111 11011101001 1101111101 10111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,201 |
Words | 227 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 15, 15 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 482 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 113 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 93 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Theirs" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23234/theirs>.
Discuss this John Greenleaf Whittier poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In