Analysis of A Death Song
William Morris 1834 (Walthamstow) – 1896 (London)
What cometh here from west to east awending?
And who are these, the marchers stern and slow?
We bear the message that the rich are sending
Aback to those who bade them wake and know.
Not one, not one, nor thousands must they slay,
But one and all if they would dusk the day.
We asked them for a life of toilsome earning,
They bade us bide their leisure for our bread;
We craved to speak to tell our woeful learning;
We come back speechless, bearing back our dead.
Not one, not one, nor thousands must they slay,
But one and all if they would dusk the day.
They will not learn; they have no ears to hearken.
They turn their faces from the eyes of fate;
Their gay-lit halls shut out the skies that darken.
But, lo! this dead man knocking at the gate.
Not one, not one, nor thousands must they slay,
But one and all if they would dusk the day.
Here lies the sign that we shall break our prison;
Amidst the storm he won a prisoner's rest;
But in the cloudy dawn the sun arisen
Brings us our day of work to win the best.
Not one, not one, nor thousands must they slay,
But one and all if they would dusk the day.
Scheme | ababCC adadCC efefCC egegCC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110111111 0111010101 11010101110 0111111101 1111110111 1101111101 1111011110 11111101101 111111101010 11110101101 1111110111 1101111101 1111111111 1111010111 11111101110 1111110101 1111110111 1101111101 110111111010 01011101001 10010101010 11101111101 1111110111 1101111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,095 |
Words | 221 |
Sentences | 14 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 213 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 55 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 05, 2023
- 1:06 min read
- 117 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Death Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41083/a-death-song>.
Discuss this William Morris 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