Analysis of The Hunter's Indian Dove

Charles Harpur 1813 (Windsor) – 1868 (Australia)



DARK is her cheek, but her blood’s rich blush
Comes through its dusk with a sunset flush,
While joy, like a prairie-bee, slaketh its drouth
At the red honey-cup of her smiling mouth,
And her wild eyes glow, like meteors, there
’Neath the streaming storm of her night-black hair.
And ever I pride in my forest choice,
The more while I list to her bird-like voice,
Warbling old songs in her own wild speech,
But with this new burden still added to each;
“Who’ll pity, who’ll comfort the dark wood-dove
When the white hawk leaves her to die of love?

O then, by the artless tears that rise
’Neath the downcast lids of her gleaming eyes—
By the truthfully tender and touching grace
That boding passion then lends to her face—
I swear, in the very wild spirit of love,
Never to leave her, my Indian dove!


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFF GGHHFF
Poetic Form
Metre 110110111 11111011 1110101111 10110110101 0011111001 1010110111 0101101101 0111110111 1001100111 11111011011 1101100111 1011101111 11101111 101110101 10100100101 111011101 11001011011 1011011001
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 807
Words 149
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 12, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 310
Words per stanza (avg) 74
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

44 sec read
38

Charles Harpur

Charles Harpur was an Australian poet. more…

All Charles Harpur poems | Charles Harpur Books

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