Analysis of Life From 1835 to 1851
William Gay 1865 (Scotland) – 1897
And, now, a vacancy occurs,
For very nearly sixteen years,
In which I'd not the least desire,
To strike the harp or tune the lyre.
But having left the good old 'Medway:
I tried on shore to make some headway.
I first a situation got,
And not amiss I found my lot:-
My wages good, my work was various;
My living far above precarious.
I then began to look around,
And thought ere long to settle down:
And then a letter I wrote home,
And ask'd my love if she would come;
Offering at once to pay her passage:-
And in due time received this message:-
'I'll wait till many years are past,
If you'll say you'll come home at last;-
But can't consent to such removal,
Without my fathers full approval:
Which I'm afraid he'll never give;
But come home dear, we'll happy live.'
And, then I thought if home I went,
I could not feel the same content,
As if I'd never come away,
But work'd for half a crown a day:-
While here, I thought I'd every chance
My future prospects to advance.
And after some more serious thought:
Another letter home I wrote;-
Which now I cannot give verbatim,
Though it contain'd my ultimatium.
From her engagement I relieved her,
And I've no doubt it sorely grieved her:-
Then, married in due time I got:-
Though not my first love, still my lot.
We had our sorrows and our joys,
And in due time we had four boys;
But on the day our fifth was born,
My heart was with sad anguish torn:-
A fearful illness seiz'd my wife,
Which nearly drain'd away her life:
It was so sudden and severe;
It fill'd me with a dreadful fear.
We lost the babe; and my poor wife
Show'd very little sign of life,
For thirteen hours; then, I went near her;
And what I could, I did to cheer her:-
And in due time again she rallied:
But oh! she look'd so deathly pallid.
Her illness shook her system so;
I felt my heart o'erwhelm'd with woe.
With tender unremitting care,
Good nourishment and change of air;
Health seem'd regain'd in eleven months:-
She then relaps'd, and sunk at once.
I, and my boys were now alone:-
My wife, their mother dead and gone:-
I felt bereft of my best friend,
And almost wish'd my life would end.
But having made to God my prayer
My all committed to his care;
I begg'd He would my mind direct,
My boys to support and protect.
My God afforded me relief,
And caus'd me to assuage my grief;
And thus he gently clear'd my way;
And gave me strength to suit each day,
but as I'd other ills sustain'd;
I thought if longer I remain'd;
They might increase and break me down,
And all my future prospects drown,
For I'd borne wrongs of every quality,
Many from sanctified rascality.
So I, within a little while,
Resolv'd to quit Tasmania's Isle
And in due time I made a start,
With Drew, 'Old Hoppy' and spring-cart.
Melbourne I reach'd on that day week,
And stroll'd about some work to seek:
Though very much a job I needed;
'Twas full twelve days ere I succeeded.
Work then in Melbourne was precarious;
The jobs I got were short and various:
So when five months had just roll'd over:
Portland I reach'd in the 'Red Rover'
So here I made a five months jump
And from old deck planks made a pump.
Thus near five years of sorrow past;
I and my boys were snug at last:-
I in the shop 'mong wheels and carts;
At school and home they did their parts.
Now all this while by some mischance,
My muse on me ne'er cast a glance:
But in nine months at the election
She took me under her protection.
I really felt like one inspired.
Could spin off verse when I desired;
Which made some cynics on me frown;
And then for fun I wrote them down.
Now I've gone over sixteen years
Through joys and sorrows, smiles and tears
And as I end this tale at last,
You'll guess the future by the past.
Scheme | Text too long |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010001 11010011 011101010 11011101 11010111 11111111 1100101 01011111 1101111100 1101010100 11011101 01111101 01010111 01111111 1001111010 001101110 11110111 11111111 110111010 011101010 11011101 11111101 01111111 11110110 11110101 11110101 111111001 11010101 010111001 01010111 111101010 110111 100101010 011111010 11001111 11111111 1110100101 00111111 110110111 11111101 01010111 11010101 11110001 11110101 11010111 11010111 1111011110 011111110 001101110 111111010 01010101 1111111 1100101 11000111 110100101 11010111 10110101 11110101 11011111 0111111 11011111 11010111 11111101 11101001 11010101 01110111 01110111 01111111 11110101 11110101 11010111 01110101 11111100100 10111 11010101 011111 00111101 11110011 10111111 01011111 110101110 111111010 1101010100 0111010100 111111110 101100110 11110111 01111101 11111101 10110111 10011101 11011111 1111111 11111101 101110010 111100010 110111010 111111010 11110111 01111111 11110011 11010101 01111111 11010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 3,582 |
Words | 720 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 104 |
Lines Amount | 104 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 2,796 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 703 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 3:48 min read
- 56 Views
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"Life From 1835 to 1851" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40603/life-from-1835-to-1851>.
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