Analysis of English Grass
William Henry Ogilvie 1869 (Scotland) – 1963
Come, horsemen all, from every field
And taste this rare delight,
And see what English pastures yield
To those whose hearts beat right!
Come, haste and quaff the stirrup-cup!
Turn down the empty glass!
The horn is blown, the hunt is up,
And here's our English grass!
And here are foxes swift to find
And fences strong to break,
And here are doubles steep and blind
That try the best to take,
And dappled hounds to keep in sight
And rivals you must pass
Before the long December night
Enshrouds the English grass!
And think it not a lightsome thing
Or feat to wake your scorn
To follow where the Pytchley swing
Or lead them with the Quorn ;
For men have hacked the mulga trail
And packed the mountain pass,
Yet found the boldest heart may fail
To ride the English grass.
The meadows stretch from stream to stream,
Close-bitten, firm, and sound;
No stubble stands, no plough man's team
Rips up the ravaged ground;
But level far as eye can see
Like smooth green-tinted glass,
A battle-ground for bravery,
Is spread the English grass.
Though thorns be thick, though binders lace,
Though stout be stile and rail,
Though nought but blood can live the pace,
And nought but pluck prevail,
The call's to all, the field is fair
To every creed and class;
So draw your girths, all ye who dare,
And ride the English grass!
Scheme | ABABCDCDEFEFBDBDGHGHIDIDJKJKLDLDMIMINDND |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 110111001 011101 01110101 111111 11010101 110101 01110111 0110101 01110111 010111 01110101 110111 0111101 010111 01010101 10101 0111011 111111 1101011 111101 1111011 010101 11010111 110101 0111111 110101 11011111 110101 11011111 111101 01011100 110101 11111101 111101 11111101 011101 01110111 1100101 11111111 010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,313 |
Words | 239 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 40 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,030 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 238 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 08, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 98 Views
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"English Grass" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40765/english-grass>.
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