Messmates

Sir Henry Newbolt 1862 (Bilston, Staffordshire) – 1938 (Kensington, London)



He gave us all a good-bye cheerily
At the first dawn of day;
We dropped him down the side full drearily
When the light died away.
It's a dead dark watch that he's a-keeping there,
And a long, long night that lags a-creeping there,
Where the Trades and the tides roll over him
And the great ships go by.

He's there alone with green seas rocking him
For a thousand miles round;
He's there alone with dumb things mocking him,
And we're homeward bound.
It's a long, lone watch that he's a-keeping there,
And a dead cold night that lags a-creeping there,
While the months and the years roll over him
And the great ships go by.

I wonder if the tramps come near enough
As they thrash to and fro,
And the battle-ships' bells ring clear enough
To be heard down below;
If through all the lone watch that he's a-keeping there,
And the long, cold night that lags a-creeping there,
The voices of the sailor-men shall comfort him
When the great ships go by.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

55 sec read
59

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababccdE dfdfccdE gxgaccde
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 928
Words 178
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8

Sir Henry Newbolt

Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a very powerful role as a government adviser, particularly on Irish issues and with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps best remembered for his poems "Vitaï Lampada" and "Drake's Drum". more…

All Sir Henry Newbolt poems | Sir Henry Newbolt Books

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    "Messmates" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35141/messmates>.

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    Which of these famous poems is written in villanelle form?
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    B The Owl And The Pussycat
    C Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
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