Analysis of The Incantation
Andrew Barton Paterson 1864 (Orange, New South Wales) – 1941 (Sydney, New South Wales)
Scene: Federal Political Arena
A darkened cave. In the middle, a cauldron, boiling.
Enter the three witches.
1ST WITCH: Thrice hath the Federal Jackass brayed.
2ND WITCH: Once the Bruce-Smith War-horse neighed.
3RD WITCH: So Georgie comes, 'tis time, 'tis time,
Around the cauldron to chant our rhyme.
1ST WITCH: In the cauldron boil and bake
Fillet of a tariff snake,
Home-made flannels -- mostly cotton,
Apples full of moths, and rotten,
Lamb that perished in the drought,
Starving stock from "furthest out",
Drops of sweat from cultivators,
Sweating to feed legislators.
Grime from a white stoker's nob,
Toiling at a nigger's job.
Thus the great Australian Nation,
Seeks political salvation.
ALL: Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
2ND WITCH: Heel-taps from the threepenny bars,
Ash from Socialist cigars.
Leathern tongue of boozer curst
With the great Australian thirst,
Two-up gambler keeping dark,
Loafer sleeping in the park --
Drop them in to prove the sequel,
All men are born free and equal.
ALL: Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
3RD WITCH:Lung of Labour agitator,
Gall of Isaacs turning traitor;
Spleen that Kingston has revealed,
Sawdust stuffing out of Neild;
Mix them up, and then combine
With duplicity of Lyne,
Alfred Deakin's gift of gab,
Mix the gruel thick and slab.
ALL: Double, double, toil and trouble,
Heav'n help Australia in her trouble.
HECATE: Oh, well done, I commend your pains,
And everyone shall share i' the gains,
And now about the cauldron sing,
Enchanting all that you put in.
Round about the cauldron go,
In the People's rights we'll throw,
Cool it with an Employer's blood,
Then the charm stands firm and good,
And thus with chaos in possession,
Ring in the coming Fed'ral Session.
Scheme | xabc c dd eeffccbxggff HH iiccjjhh HH kkccllgg Hh mmaxnnccff |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11000100010 0101001001010 100110 1111010011 111011111 1111011111 0101011101 110010101 0110101 11101010 10111010 1110001 1011101 11111 1011100 110111 1010101 10101010 10100010 110101010 10101010 11111011 1110001 111101 1010101 1110101 1010001 11011010 11111010 110101010 10101010 1111100 11101010 1110101 110111 1110110 1010011 101111 1010101 110101010 110100010 111110111 01011101 01010101 01011110 1010101 0010111 11110101 1011101 011100010 10010110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,790 |
Words | 297 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 1, 2, 12, 2, 8, 2, 8, 2, 10 |
Lines Amount | 51 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 139 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 29 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:31 min read
- 53 Views
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"The Incantation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/2651/the-incantation>.
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