Analysis of The Men of the Open Spaces

William Henry Ogilvie 1869 (Scotland) – 1963



These are the men with the sun-tanned faces
and the keen far-sighted eyes-
the men of the open spaces,
and the land where the mirage lies.

The men who have learnt to master
the forces of fire and drought
and the demon Flood's disaster
in the fields of furthest out.

The men who have stood together
and shared in the fight with fate
and known the strength of the tether
that holds a mate to his mate.

Who ride with a gallant bearing
where every saddle's a throne,
and each is an emperor sharing
an empire enough for his own.

They are strangers to airs and graces,
and scornful of power and pride-
the Men of the Open Spaces,
who rule the world when they ride.


Scheme abAb cdcd cece fgfg xhAh
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 1101101110 0011101 01101010 00110011 01111110 01011001 00101010 0011101 01111010 0100111 01011010 1101111 11101010 1100101 011110010 110001111 111011010 01011001 01101010 1101111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 647
Words 128
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 25
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

39 sec read
120

William Henry Ogilvie

William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish-Australian narrative poet and horseman. more…

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