Analysis of Our Captain's Last Words

Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)



Where the foremost flag was flying,
Pierce'd by manny a shot and shell,
Where the bravest men were dying,
There our gallant captain fell.
"Boys! you follow now another;
Follow till the foe shall yield;"
Then he whisper'd, "Tell my mother
Stephen died upon the field."
"Mother!"
"Moth er!"
"Stephen died upon the field."

Through the battle they bore him,
But his words were growing wild;
Heeding not the scenes before him,
Stephen was once more a child.
"Ah, she comes! there is no other
Speaks my name with such a joy;
Press me to your bosom, mother,
Call my still your darling joy."
"Mother!"
"Mother !"
"Call my still your darling joy."

Men who were not used to weeping,
Turn'd aside to hide a tear,
When they saw the pallor creeping,
That assured them death was near.
Kindly as he were a brother,
Strangers caught his parting breath,
Laden with the mumur "mother"
Last upon his lips in death.
"Mother!"
"Mother!&qu ot;
Last upon his lips in death.  


Scheme ababcdcDCcD efefcgcGCCG axaxchcHCxH
Poetic Form
Metre 1011110 11100101 10101010 11010101 11101010 1010111 11101110 1010101 10 10 1010101 1010111 1110101 10101011 1011101 11111110 1111101 11111010 1111101 10 10 1111101 11011110 1011101 1110110 1011111 10110010 1011101 1010110 1011101 10 1011 1011101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 927
Words 181
Sentences 18
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 11, 11, 11
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 240
Words per stanza (avg) 56
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

52 sec read
100

Henry Clay Work

Henry Clay Work was an American composer and songwriter. more…

All Henry Clay Work poems | Henry Clay Work Books

1 fan

Discuss this Henry Clay Work poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Our Captain's Last Words" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17279/our-captain%27s-last-words>.

    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
    6
    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?

    »
    About how many poems did Emily Dickinson write?
    A 500
    B 1,800
    C 2,500
    D 750