Analysis of Workmen's March

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 1832 (Kvikne) – 1910 (Paris)



Left foot! Right foot! Lines unbroken!
Keeping time is power's token.
That makes
one
of many, many,
That makes bold, if fear daunts any,
That makes small the load and lighter,
That makes near the goal and brighter,
Till it greets us gained with laughter,
And we seek the next one after.

Left foot! Right foot! Lines unbroken!
Keeping time is power's token.
Marching, marching of few hundreds,
No one heeds it, never one dreads;
Marching, marching of few thousands,
Here and there wakes some to hearing;
Marching, marching hundred thousands,-
All will mark that thunder nearing.

Left foot! Right foot! Lines unbroken!
Keeping time is power's token.
Let us march all, never weaken
Time from Vardö down to Viken,
Vinger up to Bergen's region,-
Let us make
one
marching legion,
Then we'll rout some wrong from Norway,
Open wide to right the doorway.


Scheme AAxAbbcccc AAxxdede AAaaaxAaff
Poetic Form
Metre 11111010 10111010 11 1 11010 11111110 11101010 11101010 11111110 01101110 11111010 10111010 10101110 11111011 10101110 10111110 10101010 11111010 11111010 10111010 11111010 111111 111110 111 1 1010 1111111 1011101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 829
Words 148
Sentences 16
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 10, 8, 10
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 219
Words per stanza (avg) 48
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
108

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit", becoming the first Norwegian Nobel laureate. Bjørnson is considered to be one of The Four Greats (De Fire Store) among Norwegian writers, the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland. Bjørnson is also celebrated for his lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet". more…

All Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson poems | Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Books

1 fan

Discuss this Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Workmen's March" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/4448/workmen%27s-march>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    7
    hours
    43
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of these poets did not use capital letters in his works?
    A E.E. Cummings
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Robert Browning
    D Robert Frost