Analysis of At Putney
R C Lehmann 1856 ( Ecclesall, Sheffield, ) – 1929 ( High Wycombe, )
When eight strong fellows are out to row,
With a slip of a lad to guide them,
I warrant they'll make the light ship go,
Though the coach on the launch may chide them,
With his "Six, get on to it! Five, you're late!
Don't hurry the slides, and use your weight!
You're bucketing, Bow; and, as to Four,
The sight of his shoulders makes me sore!"
But Stroke has steadied his fiery men,
And the lift on the boat gets stronger;
And the Coxswain suddenly shouts for "Ten!
Reach out to it, longer, longer!"
While the wind and the tide raced hand in hand
The swing of the crew and the pace were grand;
But now that the two meet face to face
It's buffet and slam and a tortoise-pace.
For Hammersmith Bridge has rattled past,
And, oh, but the storm is humming.
The turbulent white steeds gallop fast;
They're tossing their crests and coming.
It's a downright rackety, gusty day,
And the backs of the crew are drenched in spray;
But it's "Swing, boys, swing till you're deaf and blind,
And you'll beat and baffle the raging wind."
They have slipped through Barnes; they are round thebend;
And the chests of the eight are tightening.
"Now spend your strength, if you've strength to spend,
And away with your hands like lightning!
Well rowed!" - and the coach is forced to cheer -
"Now stick to it, all, for the post is near!"
And, lo, they stop at the coxswain's call,
With its message of comfort, "Easy all!"
So here's to the sturdy undismayed
Eight men who are bound together
By the faith of the slide and the flashing blade
And the swing and the level feather;
To the deeds they do and the toil they bear;
To the dauntless mind and the will to dare;
And the joyous spirit that makes them one
Till the last fierce stroke of the race is done.
Scheme | ABABCCDD EFEFGGHH IJIJKKLL CJXJMMNN CFXFOOPP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (23%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 111101111 101101111 110110111 101101111 1111111111 110010111 1110111 011110111 1111011001 001101110 001100111 11111010 1010011101 0110100101 111011111 1100100101 11011101 01101110 010011101 11011010 1011101 0011011101 1111111101 0110100101 111111111 0011011100 111111111 001111110 110011111 1111110111 01111011 1110110101 1110101 11111010 10110100101 001001010 1011100111 101100111 0010101111 1011110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,703 |
Words | 335 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 265 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 65 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:42 min read
- 6 Views
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"At Putney" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/56413/at-putney>.
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