Analysis of The Triumph Of The Whale
Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)
(Written in the last reign.)
Io! Pæan! Io! sing
To the finny people's King.
Not a mightier whale than this
In the vast Atlantic is;
Not a fatter fish than he
Flounders round the polar sea.
See his blubbers-at his gills
What a world of drink he swills,
From his trunk, as from a spout,
Which next moment he pours out.
Such his person-next declare,
Muse, who his companions are.-
Every fish of generous kind
Scuds aside, or slinks behind;
But about his presence keep
All the Monsters of the Deep;
Mermaids, with their tails and singing.
His delighted fancy stinging;
Crooked Dolphins, they surround him,
Dog-like Seals, they fawn around him.
Following hard, the progress mark,
Of the intolerant salt sea shark.
For his solace and relief,
Flat fish are his courtiers chief.
Last and lowest in his train,
Ink-fish (libellers of the main)
Their black liquor shed in spite:
(Such on earth the things that write.)
In his stomach, some do say,
No good thing can ever stay.
Had it been the fortune of it,
To have swallowed that old Prophet,
Three days there he'd not have dwell'd,
But in one have been expell'd.
Hapless mariners are they,
Who beguil'd (as seamen say),
Deeming him some rock or island,
Footing sure, safe spot, and dry land,
Anchor in his scaly rind;
Soon the difference they find;
Sudden plumb, he sinks beneath them;
Does to ruthless seas bequeath them.
Name or title what has he?
Is he Regent of the Sea?
From this difficulty free us,
Buffon, Banks, or sage Linnæus.
With his wondrous attributes
Say what appellation suits.
By his bulk, and by his size,
By his oily qualities,
This (or else my eyesight fails),
This should be the Prince of Whales.
R. et R.
Scheme | A BBCXDDXCEEXFGGHHBBIIJJKKAALLMMXXNNMMXXGGOO DDPPQQXXRR F |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 100011 1011101 101101 10100111 0010101 1010111 1010101 111111 1011111 1111101 1110111 1110101 1110101 100111001 1011101 1011101 1010101 1111010 10101010 10101011 11111011 1001011 100100111 1110001 11111001 1010011 111101 1110101 1110111 0110111 1111101 11101011 11101110 1111111 1011101 1010011 1011101 1111110 10111011 100111 1010011 10111011 11101011 1110111 1110101 11100011 111111 111010 110101 1110111 1110100 111111 1110111 111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,623 |
Words | 302 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 42, 10, 1 |
Lines Amount | 54 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 321 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 20, 2023
- 1:32 min read
- 159 Views
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