Analysis of A Song in Storm
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
Be well assured that on our side
The abiding oceans fight,
Though headlong wind and heaping tide
Make us their sport to-night.
By force of weather, not of war,
In jeopardy we steer.
Then welcome Fate's discourtesy
Whereby it shall appear
How in all time of our distress,
And our deliverance too,
The game is more than the player of the game,
And the ship is more than the crew!
Out of the mist into the mirk
The glimmering combers roll.
Almost these mindless waters work
As though they had a soul --
Almost as though they leagued to whelm
Our flag beneath their green:
Then welcome Fate's discourtesy
Whereby it shall be seen, etc.
Be well assured, though wave and wind
Have mightier blows in store,
That we who keep the watch assigned
Must stand to it the more;
And as our streaming bows rebuke
Each billow's baulked career,
Sing, welcome Fate's discourtesy
Whereby it is made clear, etc.
No matter though our decks be swept
And mast and timber crack --
We can make good all loss except
The loss of turning back.
So, 'twixt these Devils and our deep
Let courteous trumpets sound,
To welcome Fate's discourtesy
Whereby it will be found, etc.
Be well assured, though in our power
Is nothing left to give
But chance and place to meet the hour,
And leave to strive to live.
Till these dissolve our Order holds,
Our Service binds us here.
Then welcome Fate's discourtesy
Whereby it is made clear
How in all time of our distress,
As in our triumph too,
The game is more than the player of the game
And the ship is more than the crew!
Scheme | ababcdEdEfGF hihigxEh jcjchdeh khkhxxeh lxlxexEdEfGF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110111101 0010101 1110101 111111 11110111 010011 11011 011101 101111001 01001001 01111010101 00111101 11010101 010011 1110101 111101 1111111 1010111 11011 011111100 11011101 1100101 11110101 111101 011010101 11101 11011 011111100 110110111 010101 11111101 011101 111100101 1100101 11011 011111100 1101101010 110111 110111010 011111 110110101 1010111 11011 011111 101111001 1010101 01111010101 00111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,496 |
Words | 285 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 8, 8, 8, 12 |
Lines Amount | 48 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 240 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 56 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 205 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Song in Storm" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33135/a-song-in-storm>.
Discuss this Rudyard Kipling 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