Analysis of The Traveller in Africa
A Dramatic Sketch
A Forest. Night.
Alone, amidst the interminable forest!—
Where shall I seek for aid! my weary limbs,
Torn by the briars, and wasted with fatigue,
Refuse to bear me further.
Horrid night!
Black, rayless, midnight reigns; and the thick dew
Distils its baleful drops upon my head.
And, hark! the topmost branches of the trees,
With dismal moan, now louder and more near,
Shake in the rushing wind! It comes, it comes!—
The dread tornado!—is there no escape!—
What howl is that, which echoes from afar?
The frightful yell comes nearer——
Mighty Heaven!
No friendly torch, no watchfire near, to keep
The savage foe at bay!—my cries alone,
My frantic cries of agony, have power
To scare the fell hyena from his prey!
The torrent sweeps along—a swelling river
Rolls, dashes at my feet! I dare not climb
Yon palm for safety, lest the huge black ants
Fix on and sting me into madness. Ha!
That crash has fell'd the loftiest of the wood,
The stately cotton-tree, that could withstand
A thousand storms;—whose high, projecting stems,
Twisting in many folds impenetrable,
Twin'd with convoluvi and parasites,
Spread their broad barrier, and forbade approach.
'Tis fallen now—its purple blossoms crush'd—
And that stupendous form, which once could yield
A fainting army shelter, is laid low.
I dare not linger—yet I fear to fly.—
I hear the human-monster's piercing howl,
The fierce Ingrena, sporting with the storm,
Like its presiding demon. He approaches—
And, as he comes, he tears the branches down,
And arms himself for slaughter. I am lost!
His wild eyes see me by the lightning's flash—
One moment, and I perish!—Oh, no! no!
That desp'rate leap has saved me, and the coil
Of the huge Boa holds my shrieking foe!
A thousand deaths surround me—and I yield.—
No more at eve, beneath the ganian's shade,
My brave companions, shall we meet, to tell
Of toils and dangers past: no more recall
The lovely verdure of our native vales,
When, listening to the crown-bird's cheerful note,
So like our own wild wand'ring bird of spring,
That fancy gives us back our homes again.
My lov'd, lost home!—and must I perish here!—
Oh! were I now amidst the burning sands,
So the bright sun once more might shine on me,
Although in all his scorching fierceness, yet
There might be hope I should escape his beams;
Or, were I on the brink of some broad river,
Where the gaunt crocodile pursued my steps,
So I had light to view mine enemy,
There might be some hope: but here no light can come!
The blast
Bears shouts upon its wings—new terrors still
Come thronging to o'erwhelm me! Gracious Heaven!
Those well-known sounds, those voices! and my name
Echoing through all the forest!—I am saved!—
Here, here, my friends! rush onward, ye are come
In time to see me die!
Scheme | X A XXXBAXX XXXXXBCXXBX BXXXXXXXXXXDE FXXXXXXEXE DXXXXXXXXXGXXBXGH XXCXXHF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 00101 0101 010100100010 1111111101 1101010101 0111110 101 11110011 111010111 010110101 1101110011 1001011111 010111101 1111110101 0101110 1010 110111111 0101111101 11011100110 1101010111 01010101010 1101111111 1111010111 1101101101 111101101 0101011101 0101110101 10010101000 111010 11110000101 1101110101 0101011111 0101010111 1111011111 110101101 01110101 11010101010 0111110101 0101110111 111111011 1100110111 111111001 1011011101 0101011011 111101011 1101011111 110101111 0101110101 11001011101 11101111111 11011110101 1111011101 1011010101 1011111111 10111011 1111110111 10110111110 101100111 1111111100 11111111111 01 1101111101 111111010 1111110011 10011010111 1111110111 011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,916 |
Words | 495 |
Sentences | 43 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 7, 11, 13, 10, 17, 7 |
Lines Amount | 67 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 267 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 60 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:31 min read
- 27 Views
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"The Traveller in Africa" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26122/the-traveller-in-africa>.
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