Analysis of Australia Infelix

William Gay 1865 (Scotland) – 1897



HOW long, O Lord, shall this, my country, be  
 A nation of the dead? How long shall they  
Who seek their own and live but for the day,  
My country hinder from her destiny?  
Around me, Lord, I seem again to see          
That ancient valley where the dry bones lay,  
And ’tis in vain that long I wait and pray  
To see them rise to men resolved and free.  
Yet sure, O Lord, upon this land of death  
At last Thy Spirit will descend with power;          
And Thou wilt kindle patriots with Thy breath,  
Who, venturing all to win their country’s good,  
Shall toil and suffer for the sacred hour  
That brings the fullness of her nationhood.


Scheme ABBAABBACDCEDE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111101 0101011111 1111011101 1101010100 0111110111 1101010111 0101111101 1111110101 1111011111 11110101110 01110100111 1100111111 11010101010 110101010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 644
Words 119
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 466
Words per stanza (avg) 117
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
72

William Gay

William Gay (2 May 1865 – 22 December 1897) was a Scottish-born Australian poet. more…

All William Gay poems | William Gay Books

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