Analysis of In Romney Marsh



As I went down to Dymchurch Wall,
I heard the South sing o'er the land
I saw the yellow sunlight fall
On knolls where Norman churches stand.

And ringing shrilly, taut and lithe,
Within the wind a core of sound,
The wire from Romney town to Hythe
Along its airy journey wound.

A veil of purple vapour flowed
And trailed its fringe along the Straits;
The upper air like sapphire glowed:
And roses filled Heaven's central gates.

Masts in the offing wagged their tops;
The swinging waves pealed on the shore;
The saffron beach, all diamond drops
And beads of surge, prolonged the roar.

As I came up from Dymchurch Wall,
I saw above the Downs' low crest
The crimson brands of sunset fall,
Flicker and fade from out the West.

Night sank: like flakes of silver fire
The stars in one great shower came down;
Shrill blew the wind; and shrill the wire
Rang out from Hythe to Romney town.

The darkly shining salt sea drops
Streamed as the waves clashed on the shore;
The beach, with all its organ stops
Pealing again, prolonged the roar.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH AIAI JKJK GHGH
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1111111 110111001 1101011 11110101 0101101 01010111 010110111 01110101 0111011 01110101 010111001 010110101 10010111 01011101 01011101 01110101 1111111 11010111 0101111 10011101 111111010 010111011 110101010 11111101 01010111 11011101 01111101 1010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,007
Words 189
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 116
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

57 sec read
156

John Davidson

John Wynn Davidson was a brigadier general in the United States Army during the American Civil War and an American Indian fighter. more…

All John Davidson poems | John Davidson Books

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