Analysis of Life In The West.
George Pope Morris 1802 (Philadelphia) – 1864
Ho! brothers--come hither and list to my story--
Merry and brief will the narrative be.
Here, like a monarch, I reign in my glory--
Master am I, boys, of all that I see!
Where once frowned a forest, a garden is smiling--
The meadow and moorland are marshes no more;
And there curls the smoke of my cottage, beguiling
The children who cluster like grapes round my door.
Then enter, boys; cheerly, boys, enter and rest;
The land of the heart is the land of the West!
Oho, boys!--oho, boys!--oho!
Talk not of the town, boys--give me the broad prairie,
Where man, like the wind, roams impulsive and free:
Behold how its beautiful colors all vary,
Like those of the clouds, or the deep-rolling sea!
A life in the woods, boys, is even as changing;
With proud independence we season our cheer,
And those who the world are for happiness ranging,
Won't find it at all if they don't find it here.
Then enter, boys; cheerly, boys, enter and rest!
I'll show you the life, boys, we live in the West!
Oho, boys!--oho, boys!--oho!
Here, brothers, secure from all turmoil and danger,
We reap what we sow, for the soil is our own;
We spread hospitality's board for the stranger,
And care not a jot for the king on his throne.
We never know want, for we live by our labor,
And in it contentment and happiness find;
We do what we can for a friend or a neighbor,
And die, boys, in peace and good-will to mankind.
Then enter, boys; cheerly, boys, enter and rest;
You know how we live, boys, and die in the West!
Oho, boys!--oho, boys!--oho!
Scheme | aaaabcbcDdE aaaabxbxDdE fgfgfhfhDdE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110110011110 1001101001 1101110110 1011111111 111010010110 010111011 011011110010 01011011111 1101111001 01101101101 11111 111011110110 11101101001 011110010110 11101101101 010011110110 11010110101 011011110010 11111111111 1101111001 11101111001 11111 11001111010 111111011101 11111010 01101101111 1101111111010 00101001001 111111011010 01101011111 1101111001 11111101001 11111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,495 |
Words | 288 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 11, 11 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 379 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 93 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 13, 2023
- 1:27 min read
- 117 Views
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"Life In The West." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/42964/life-in-the-west.>.
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