Analysis of He Never Smiled Again

Felicia Dorothea Hemans 1793 (Liverpool, Lancashire) – 1835 (Dublin, County Dublin)



The bark that held a prince went down,
The sweeping waves roll'd on;
And what was England's glorious crown
To him that wept a son?
He lived-for life may long be borne
Ere sorrow break its chain;-
Why comes not death to those who mourn?
-He never smiled again!

There stood proud forms around his throne,
The stately and the brave,
But which could fill the place of one,
That one beneath the wave?
Before him pass'd the young and fair,
In pleasure's reckless train,
But seas dash'd o'er his son's bright hair-
-He never smiled again!

He sat where festal bowls went round ;
He heard the minstrel sing,
He saw the Tourney's victor crown'd,
Amidst the knightly ring:
A murmur of the restless deep
Was blent with every strain,
A voice of winds that would not sleep-
-He never smiled again!

Hearts, in that time, clos'd o'er the trace
Of vows once fondly pour'd,
And strangers took the kinsman's place
At many a joyous board;
Graves, which true love had bath'd with tears,
Were left to Heaven's bright rain,
Fresh hopes were born for other years-
-He never smiled again!


Scheme axabcdcE xfbfgdgE hihijdjE klklxdxE
Poetic Form
Metre 01110111 010111 011101001 111101 11111111 110111 11111111 110101 11110111 010001 11110111 110101 01110101 01101 111101111 110101 1111111 110101 1101101 010101 01010101 1111001 01111111 110101 101111001 111101 0101011 1100101 11111111 0111011 11011101 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,040
Words 194
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 205
Words per stanza (avg) 48
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
131

Felicia Dorothea Hemans

Felicia Dorothea Hemans was an English poet. Two of her opening lines, "The boy stood on the burning deck" and "The stately homes of England", have acquired classic status. more…

All Felicia Dorothea Hemans poems | Felicia Dorothea Hemans Books

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