Analysis of The Dove of Dacca
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
The freed dove flew to the Rajah's tower—
Fled from the slaughter of Moslem kings—
And the thorns have covered the city of Gaur.
Dove—dove—oh, homing dove!
Little white traitor, with woe on thy wings!
The Rajah of Dacca rode under the wall;
He set in his bosom a dove of flight—
`If she return, be sure that I fall."
Dove—dove—oh, homing dove!
Pressed to his heart in the thick of the fight.
"Fire the palace, the fort, and the keep—
Leave to the foeman no spoil at all.
In the flame of the palace lie down and sleep
If the dove—if the dove—if the homing dove
Come, and alone, to the palace wall."
The Kings of the North they were scattered abroad—
The Rajah of Dacca he slew them all.
Hot from slaughter he stooped at the ford,
And the dove—the dove—oh, the homing dove!
She thought of her cote on the palace-wall.
She opened her wings and she flew away—
Fluttered away beyond recall;
She came to the palace at break of day.
Dove—dove—oh, homing dove,
Flying so fast for a kingdom's fall!
The Queens of Dacca they slept in flame—
Slept in the flame of the palace old—
To save their honour from Moslem shame.
And the dove—the dove—oh, the homing dove,
She cooed to her young where the smoke-cloud rolled!
The Rajah of Dacca rode far and fleet,
Followed as fast as a horse could fly,
He came and the palace was black at his feet;
And the dove—the dove—the homing dove,
Circled alone in the stainless sky.
So the dove flew to the Rajah's tower—
Fled from the slaughter of Moslem kings;
So the thorns covered the city of Gaur,
And Dacca was lost for a white dove's wings.
Dove—dove—oh, homing dove,
Dacca is lost from the Roll of the Kings!
Scheme | aBaCb dedCe fdfcd xdxCd gdgCd hihCi jkjck aBabCb |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011110110 110101101 00111001011 111101 1011011111 011111001 1101100111 110111111 111101 1111001101 1001001001 11011111 00110101101 10110110101 100110101 01101101001 01111111 111011101 0010110101 1110110101 1100101101 1001011 1110101111 111101 101110101 01111101 100110101 11111101 0010110101 1110110111 01111101 101110111 11001011111 001010101 100100101 101110110 110101101 1011001011 011110111 111101 111101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,662 |
Words | 310 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6 |
Lines Amount | 41 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 157 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:33 min read
- 108 Views
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"The Dove of Dacca" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33413/the-dove-of-dacca>.
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