Analysis of Are Ye Right, There, Michael?



You may talk of Columbus's sailing
Across the Atlantical Sea
But he never tried to go railing
From Ennis as far as Kilkee
You run for the train in the morning,
The excursion train starting at eight
You're there when the clock gives the warnin'
And there for an hour you'll wait
And as you're waiting in the train,
You'll hear the guard sing this refrain-

Are ye right there, Michael, are ye right?
Do you think that we'll be there before the night?
Ye've been so long in startin',
That ye couldn't say for startin'
Still ye might now, Michael,
So ye might!

They find out where the engine's been hiding,
And it drags you to Sweet Corofin;
Says the guard, Back her down on the siding
There's the goods from Kilrush comin' in.
Perhaps it comes in two hours,
Perhaps it breaks down on the way;
If it does, says the guard, be the powers,
We're here for the rest of the day!

Spoken:
And while you sit and curse your luck
The train backs down into a truck.

Are ye right there, Michael, are ye right?
Have ye got the parcel there for Mrs. White?
Ye haven't, oh begorra,
Say it's comin' down tomorra -
And well it might now, Michael,
So it might.

At Lahinch the sea shines like a jewel,
With joy you are ready to shout,
When the stoker cries out, There's no fuel,
And the fire's taytotally out.
But hand up that bit of log there -
I'll soon have ye out of the fix;
There's fine clamp of turf in the bog there.
And the rest go a-gatherin' sticks.

Spoken:
And while you're breakin' bits of tree,
You hear some wise remarks like these -

Are ye right there, Michael? Are ye right?
Do ye think that you can get the fire to light?
Oh an hour you'll require,
For the turf it might be drier -
Well it might now, Michael,
So it might.


Scheme abaaacdcdd Eeddfe adadghgh Dii EejjfE fkfkjljl Dbx EejjfE
Poetic Form Etheree  (34%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1111010010 01011 111011110 1101111 111010010 001011011 11101101 01111011 01110001 11011101 111110111 11111110101 1111101 1110111 111110 111 1111010110 0111111 1011011010 1011110 01110110 01111101 1111011010 11101101 10 01110111 01110101 111110111 11101011101 11011 11111 0111110 111 110111010 11111011 1010111110 001011 11111111 11111101 111110011 0011011 10 0111111 11110111 111110111 111111101011 1110110 10111110 111110 111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,678
Words 335
Sentences 18
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 10, 6, 8, 3, 6, 8, 3, 6
Lines Amount 50
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 163
Words per stanza (avg) 42
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 16, 2023

1:46 min read
77

William Percy French

William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) became known as one of Ireland's foremost songwriters and entertainers. Thanks to the late Oliver Nulty, French has become recognised for his watercolour paintings as well. William Percy French was a gifted polymath who had a number of artistic talents at his command. He could work very quickly, and his output is prodigious across many genres. more…

All William Percy French poems | William Percy French Books

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    "Are Ye Right, There, Michael?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41186/are-ye-right%2C-there%2C-michael%3F>.

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