Analysis of My Fisher Lass



I stood beside the Summer sea
And watched far out my Fisher Lass
Row swiftly in her boat to me,
And the sea shone like a glass.
She waved her strong, brown hand to me,
The boat flew swiftly in from sea,
The osprey laughed in wild, wild glee
To see her row so swift to me.

Laugh, laugh, sea-birds and glad, glad sea,
My soul laughs too in mad, mad glee;
I catch her in my waiting arms
And lose my fears of wrecks and storms;
I brush the sea-damp locks aside
And kiss the mouth she tries to hide.

I stand beside a Winter sea,
A storm-wrecked boat lies on the shore;
The sea moans sad an elegy,
For my lass rows in no more.
No more across the Summer sea
My Fisher Lass rows into me;
I wait each day upon the shore -
They say that she will come no more.

Moan, moan aloud, thou Winter sea,
My Fisher Lass is lost to me!
The ships ride in, the ships ride out,
I hear their sailors' mournful shout.
Some day, I know, across the sea
My Fisher Lass will row to me.


Scheme ABABAAAA AAXXCC ADADAADD AAEEAA
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 01111101 11000111 0011101 11011111 01110011 01010111 11011111 11110111 11110111 11001101 01111101 11011101 01011111 11010101 01111101 01111100 1111011 11010101 11011011 11110101 11111111 11011101 11011111 01100111 11110101 11110101 11011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 937
Words 198
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 6, 8, 6
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 181
Words per stanza (avg) 49
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
66

James Edwin Campbell

James Edwin Campbell was an African-American poet, editor, short story writer and educator. more…

All James Edwin Campbell poems | James Edwin Campbell Books

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