Analysis of Wardens Of The Wave
Alfred Austin 1835 (Leeds) – 1913 (Ashford)
Not to exult in braggart vein
Over a gallant foe,
Or boast of triumphs on the main,
The Gods alone bestow;
Vainglorious clarion, clamorous drum,
For which the vulgar crave,
Not these, not any such, become
The Wardens of the Wave.
No, but when slumbering war-dogs wake,
To the last gasp of breath
Face combat for one's Country's sake,
With male disdain of death;
For this did Nelson live and die,
Far from his Land and home,
Making his roof-tree of the sky,
His pillow on the foam.
And if our race to-day recall
His last triumphant doom,
Place wreaths on his unfading pall,
And flowers upon his tomb,
'Tis to remind us still to keep
Aggression's lust in awe,
And with dominion of the deep
Guard Freedom, Peace, and Law.
And not alone upon the waves
That sentinel our shore,
Service that disciplines, not enslaves,
Should rule us, as of yore;
So that our Island Citadel
May tranquilly respond
With the calm signal, ``All is well,''
To every Sea Beyond.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH XIXIJXJX KLKLMNMN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011 100101 11110101 010101 110011 110101 11110101 010101 111100111 101111 11011101 110111 11110101 111101 10111101 110101 01101111 110101 111111 0100111 11011111 1101 01010101 110101 01010101 1100101 10110011 111111 11101010 1101 10110111 1100101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 927 |
Words | 174 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 185 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 18, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 78 Views
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