Analysis of Lord Ullin's Daughter
Thomas Campbell 1777 (Glasgow) – 1844 (Boulogne-sur-Mer)
A chieftain, to the Highlands bound,
Cries, ``Boatman, do not tarry!
And I'll give thee a silver pound
To row us o'er the ferry!''--
``Now, who be ye, would cross Lochgyle,
This dark and stormy weather?''
``O, I'm the chief of Ulva's isle,
And this, Lord Ullin's daughter.--
``And fast before her father's men
Three days we've fled together,
For should he find us in the glen,
My blood would stain the heather.
``His horsemen hard behind us ride;
Should they our steps discover,
Then who will cheer my bonny bride
When they have slain her lover?''--
Out spoke the hardy Highland wight,--
``I'll go, my chief--I'm ready:--
It is not for your silver bright;
But for your winsome lady:
``And by my word! the bonny bird
In danger shall not tarry;
So, though the waves are raging white,
I'll row you o'er the ferry.''--
By this the storm grew loud apace,
The water-wraith was shrieking;
And in the scowl of heaven each face
Grew dark as they were speaking.
But still as wilder blew the wind,
And as the night grew drearer,
Adown the glen rode armèd men,
Their trampling sounded nearer.--
``O haste thee, haste!'' the lady cries,
``Though tempests round us gather;
I'll meet the raging of the skies,
But not an angry father.''--
The boat has left a stormy land,
A stormy sea before her,--
When, O! too strong for human hand,
The tempest gather'd o'er her.
And still they row'd amidst the roar
Of waters fast prevailing:
Lord Ullin reach'd that fatal shore,--
His wrath was changed to wailing.
For, sore dismay'd through storm and shade,
His child he did discover:--
One lovely hand she stretch'd for aid,
And one was round her lover.
``Come back! come back!'' he cried in grief
``Across this stormy water:
And I'll forgive your Highland chief,
My daughter!--O my daughter!''
'Twas vain: the loud waves lash'd the shore,
Return or aid preventing:
The waters wild went o'er his child,
And he was left lamenting.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EDED FDFD GBGB XBGB HIHI XBED JDJD KDKD LILI MDMD NDND LIXI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 01010101 111110 01110101 11110010 1111111 1101010 1101111 011110 01010101 1111010 11111001 1111010 11010111 11101010 11111101 1111010 11010101 1111110 11111101 1111010 01110101 0101110 11011101 11110010 11011101 0101110 000111011 1111010 11110101 010111 1011111 1101010 11110101 111110 11010101 1111010 01110101 0101010 11111101 01010100 01110101 1101010 1111101 1111110 11011101 1111010 11011111 0111010 11111101 0111010 01011101 1101110 11011101 0111010 010111011 0111010 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,912 |
Words | 353 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 14 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 56 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 103 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 04, 2023
- 1:51 min read
- 101 Views
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"Lord Ullin's Daughter" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36114/lord-ullin%27s-daughter>.
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