Analysis of Rewi to Grey: The Old Maori Chief’s Last Message
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
We have lived till these times, brother,
We who lived in this;
We have not grown old together,
Soon our lives must close –
Rewi’s first! For I am dying
Ere I got where all is true
From my heart a wish is flying –
This is my great word to you:
Mine to you and those who love us –
Be they white or brown –
Let there be one stone above is
When they’ve laid us down;
Let us rest together, brother,
When our gods recall us two.
Grant my wish – I have no other:
This is my great word to you.
Let there be one stone above us,
Standing for a sign:
On one side your name be written
On the other mine.
In my heart your name is lying;
We shall meet where all is true –
From y heart this wish is flying
This is my great word to you.
Scheme | axaxbcbC dexeacaC dfxfbcbC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111110 11101 11111010 110111 10111110 1111111 11101110 1111111 11101111 11111 11111011 11111 11101010 1101111 11111110 1111111 11111011 10101 11111110 10101 01111110 1111111 11111110 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 722 |
Words | 158 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 180 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 52 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 59 Views
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"Rewi to Grey: The Old Maori Chief’s Last Message" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17898/rewi-to-grey%3A-the-old-maori-chief%E2%80%99s-last-message>.
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