Analysis of The Ancre at Hamel: Afterwards

Edmund Blunden 1896 (London) – 1974 (Long Melford)



Where tongues were loud and hearts were light
I heard the Ancre flow;
Waking oft at the mid of night
I heard the Ancre flow.

I heard it crying, that sad rill,
Below the painful ridge
By the burnt unraftered mill
And the relic of a bridge.
And could this sighing river seem
To call me far away,
And its pale word dismiss as dream
The voices of to-day?
The voices in the bright room chilled
And that mourned on alone;
The silence of the full moon filled
With that brook's troubling tone.

The struggling Ancre had no part
In these new hours of mine,
And yet its stream ran through my heart;
I heard it grieve and pine,
As if its rainy tortured blood
Had swirled into my own,
When by its battered bank I stood
And shared its wounded moan.


Scheme aBaB cdcdefefghgh ijijxhxh
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 11011 10110111 11011 11110111 010101 10111 0010101 01110101 111101 01110111 010111 01000111 011101 01010111 1111001 01001111 0111011 01111111 111101 11110101 110111 11110111 011101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 719
Words 144
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 12, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 192
Words per stanza (avg) 47
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

43 sec read
84

Edmund Blunden

Edmund Charles Blunden, MC was an English poet, author and critic. more…

All Edmund Blunden poems | Edmund Blunden Books

0 fans

Discuss this Edmund Blunden poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Ancre at Hamel: Afterwards" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9129/the-ancre-at-hamel%3A-afterwards>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    4
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    How many sonnets did William Shakespeare wrote during his life?
    A 154
    B 2
    C 5
    D 101