Analysis of The Song Of An Emigrant

Charles Mackay 1814 (Perth) – 1889 (London)



Far away! O far away,
Over the wide sea's bounding spray,
Many a league o'er the pelting foam.
We seek a country, we seek a home!
Farewell, England! our native land,
Lingering still on thy verdant strand,
We look our last on thy once-loved shore,
And vow in our hearts to return no more.

Far away! O far away!
Nothing invites us here to stay.
England, our mother, is hard as stone,
And shuts her ear to her children's moan,
And running on to destruction sure,
Pampers the rich, and grinds the poor!
Farewell, England! A last farewell!
We fly thy shores, but we wish thee well.

Far away! O far away!
We seek a world o'er the ocean spray.
Welcome, O land across the sea,
Where bread is plenty, and man is free;
Welcome, the woods and deserts drear,
And boundless fields of another sphere.
Our sails are set, and the breezes swell,
England, Our country--Farewell! Farewell!


Scheme Aabbccdd Aaeexxff Aaggdxff
Poetic Form
Metre 1011101 10011101 1001100101 110101101 11010101 100111101 1110111111 01010110111 1011101 10011111 1010101111 010110101 010110101 10010101 110011 111111111 1011101 1101100101 10110101 111100111 10010101 010110101 1011100101 10101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 876
Words 160
Sentences 19
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 221
Words per stanza (avg) 53
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
105

Charles Mackay

Charles Mackay was a Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter, remembered mainly for his book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. more…

All Charles Mackay poems | Charles Mackay Books

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