Analysis of The Grey Tide
John Le Gay Brereton 1871 (Sydney) – 1933
The cold green rocks and lapping waves
Are all my world as here I sit
With downcast eye and heart that craves
The bush and blue sky over it.
The tide of years is washing by,
The misty water drifts between
A soul with wings that may not fly
And shadowy realms that might have been.
Too late, too late, alas, I know
The track that winds by shining leaves
From where the flood reflects, below,
The greyness of the heart that grieves.
Another yet may tread the way,
And offer at that hidden shrine
His gift of rolled and twisted clay,
And set his lips to holy wine.
Another yet may tinge the flame
Upon that altar blue or red,
And freely call upon Her name,
And taste at will the blessed bread.
The waves are grey about the rocks,
A cold wind sets across the sea,
A travelling ray of sunlight mocks
The shadow on the heart of me.
Scheme | ABAB CXCX DEDE FGFG HIHI JKJK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (83%) |
Metre | 01110101 11111111 1110111 01011101 01111101 01010101 01111111 010011111 11110111 01111101 11010101 0110111 01011101 01011101 11110101 01111101 01011101 01110111 01010101 0111011 01110101 01110101 01001111 0110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 810 |
Words | 163 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 108 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 99 Views
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