Analysis of Ode to the Northeast Wind



Welcome, wild Northeaster!
Shame it is to see
Odes to every zephyr;
Ne'er a verse to thee.
Welcome, black Northeaster!
O'er the German foam;
O'er the Danish moorlands,
From thy frozen home.
Tired are we of summer,
Tired of gaudy glare,
Showers soft and steaming,
Hot and breathless air.
Tired of listless dreaming,
Through the lazy day--
Jovial wind of winter
Turn us out to play!
Sweep the golden reed-beds;
Crisp the lazy dike;
Hunger into madness
Every plunging pike.
Fill the lake with wild fowl;
Fill the marsh with snipe;
While on dreary moorlands
Lonely curlew pipe.
Through the black fir-forest
Thunder harsh and dry,
Shattering down the snowflakes
Off the curdled sky.
Hark! The brave Northeaster!
Breast-high lies the scent,
On by holt and headland,
Over heath and bent.
Chime, ye dappled darlings,
Through the sleet and snow.
Who can override you?
Let the horses go!
Chime, ye dappled darlings,
Down the roaring blast;
You shall see a fox die
Ere an hour be past.
Go! and rest tomorrow,
Hunting in your dreams,
While our skates are ringing
O'er the frozen streams.
Let the luscious Southwind
Breathe in lovers' sighs,
While the lazy gallants
Bask in ladies' eyes.
What does he but soften
Heart alike and pen?
'Tis the hard gray weather
Breeds hard English men.
What's the soft Southwester?
'Tis the ladies' breeze,
Bringing home their trueloves
Out of all the seas.
But the black Northeaster,
Through the snowstorm hurled,
Drives our English hearts of oak
Seaward round the world.
Come, as came our fathers,
Heralded by thee,
Conquering from the eastward,
Lords by land and sea.
Come; and strong, within us
Stir the Vikings' blood;
Bracing brain and sinew;
Blow, thou wind of God!


Scheme ababacdcaaeaefafghihjkdklamnaofoPqrqPsnsatetfubuvwawaxbxayzy1 b2 bi3 q4
Poetic Form
Metre 1011 11111 1110010 10111 1011 100101 100101 11101 1011110 101101 101010 10101 1011010 10101 1001110 11111 101011 10101 100110 100101 101111 10111 11101 1011 101110 10101 100101 1011 1011 11101 11101 10101 11110 10101 11101 10101 11110 10101 111011 111011 10101 10011 1101110 100101 10101 10101 10101 10101 111110 10101 101110 11101 1011 10101 10111 11101 1011 1011 11010111 10101 1111010 10011 1001010 11101 101011 10101 10101 11111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,699
Words 290
Sentences 27
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 68
Lines Amount 68
Letters per line (avg) 20
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,326
Words per stanza (avg) 288
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 15, 2023

1:28 min read
60

Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley was a priest of the Church of England, a university professor, historian and novelist. more…

All Charles Kingsley poems | Charles Kingsley Books

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