Analysis of From Far Dakota's Canons
Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)
FROM far Dakota's cañons,
Lands of the wild ravine, the dusky Sioux, the lonesome stretch, the
silence,
Haply to-day a mournful wail, haply a trumpet-note for heroes.
The battle-bulletin,
The Indian ambuscade, the craft, the fatal environment,
The cavalry companies fighting to the last in sternest heroism,
In the midst of their little circle, with their slaughter'd horses
for breastworks,
The fall of Custer and all his officers and men.
Continues yet the old, old legend of our race,
The loftiest of life upheld by death, 10
The ancient banner perfectly maintain'd,
O lesson opportune, O how I welcome thee!
As sitting in dark days,
Lone, sulky, through the time's thick murk looking in vain for light,
for hope,
From unsuspected parts a fierce and momentary proof,
(The sun there at the centre though conceal'd,
Electric life forever at the centre,)
Breaks forth a lightning flash.
Thou of the tawny flowing hair in battle,
I erewhile saw, with erect head, pressing ever in front, bearing a
bright sword in thy hand, 20
Now ending well in death the splendid fever of thy deeds,
(I bring no dirge for it or thee, I bring a glad triumphal sonnet,)
Desperate and glorious, aye in defeat most desperate, most glorious,
After thy many battles in which never yielding up a gun or a color
Leaving behind thee a memory sweet to soldiers,
Thou yieldest up thyself.
Scheme | ABXX XXXXAX XXXXXXXCXDX XBXXXXDXC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011 11010101101010 10 111010110101110 010100 01001010100100 010010010101010100 001111010111010 11 0111001110001 0101011101101 01110111 0101010001 11001111101 110011 1110111100111 11 101010101001 0111010101 01010101010 110101 11010101010 1111011101001100 11011 11010101010111 11111111110101010 10010010011101100 10110100110101011010 1001101001110 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,515 |
Words | 237 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 6, 11, 9 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 268 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 74 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 22, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 62 Views
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"From Far Dakota's Canons" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/38012/from-far-dakota%27s-canons>.
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