Analysis of A Gallop from the Train
William Henry Ogilvie 1869 (Scotland) – 1963
Though I can't afford a hunter -more's the pity,
I love a rousing gallop like the rest!-
Every morning as I travel to the city
I have five and forty minutes of the best.
As we leave our country station there's a holloa
(If it's but the engine whistle, never mind!).
By the window I am sitting, and I follow
Where the horn of fancy tells me of a find.
Through the rattle of our going comes the chorus,
'Tis a south wind and a proper scenting day,
There's a topping piece of country spread before us,
And I'll jump it all in fancy on the grey.
How he dances as I edge him through the others;
He is fond of this finessing for a start,
Just a little bit more eager than his brothers
By a beat, or maybe two beats of his heart
There's a gap we know of leading from the stubble,
And we have it while the other people pass.
A crash behind us! Some one tasting trouble!
We are over, in the lead, and on the grass.
How he lays him down to revel in his freedom!
How he snatches at his snaffle as he goes!
The field will have to gallop when we lead 'em!
Hark, behind us! There's another on his nose!
Here's an oak rail with a trappy ditch behind it,
And I feel the little beggar-shortening stride.
It's a big one, but I know he wouldn't mind it
Were it twice as big and half again as wide!
So I catch him by the head a little shorter,
And his answer comes a-thrilling from the bit;
Then I loose him, and he flies it. What a snorter!
And he never made the shadow of a hit!
So we take those rasping fences -well, perhaps a wee bit faster
Than we'd take 'em if we were not on a train!
And there's not a soul before us but the huntsman and the Master
And a toiling field is squandered once again.
By a grey suburban station, to the sullen air-brake's grinding,
We kill our dog fox handsomely at last.
It was five and forty minutes to the finish from the finding-
And at fifty miles an hour 'twas pretty fast!
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH CICI XJXJ KLKL MKMK MXMX NONO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (90%) |
Metre | 111010101010 1101010101 1001011101010 11101010101 111101010101 11101010101 101011100110 10111011101 1010110101010 1011001011 101011101011 01111010101 111011111010 111111101 101011101110 10111011111 101111101010 01111010101 01011111010 11100010101 111111100110 1110111111 01111101111 10111010111 11111011011 011010101001 101111111011 01111010111 111110101010 01101010101 111101111010 0110101101 111111010101110 11111101101 0110101110100010 00101110101 1010101010101110 11101110011 1110101010101010 011011101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,862 |
Words | 382 |
Sentences | 25 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 144 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 1:58 min read
- 100 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Gallop from the Train" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40755/a-gallop-from-the-train>.
Discuss this William Henry Ogilvie 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