Analysis of The White Tzar
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)
The White Czar is Peter the Great. Batyushka, Father dear, and
Gosudar, Sovereign, are titles the Russian people are fond of
giving to the Czar in their popular songs.
Dost thou see on the rampart's height
That wreath of mist, in the light
Of the midnight moon? O, hist!
It is not a wreath of mist;
It is the Czar, the White Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
He has heard, among the dead,
The artillery roll o'erhead;
The drums and the tramp of feet
Of his soldiery in the street;
He is awake! the White Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
He has heard in the grave the cries
Of his people: "Awake! arise!"
He has rent the gold brocade
Whereof his shroud was made;
He is risen! the White Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
From the Volga and the Don
He has led his armies on,
Over river and morass,
Over desert and mountain pass;
The Czar, the Orthodox Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
He looks from the mountain-chain
Toward the seas, that cleave in twain
The continents; his hand
Points southward o'er the land
Of Roumili! O Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
And the words break from his lips:
"I am the builder of ships,
And my ships shall sail these seas
To the Pillars of Hercules!
I say it; the White Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
"The Bosphorus shall be free;
It shall make room for me;
And the gates of its water-streets
Be unbarred before my fleets.
I say it; the White Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
"And the Christian shall no more
Be crushed, as heretofore,
Beneath thine iron rule,
O Sultan of Istamboul!
I swear it; I the Czar,
Batyushka! Gosudar!
Scheme | axx bbaxcC xaddcC eeffcC gghhcC iijjcC kkllCC mmnnCC ooppcC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111100111010 11011001010111 10101011001 1111011 1111001 101111 1110111 1101011 11 1110101 0010011 0100111 111001 1101011 11 11100101 11100101 1110101 11111 1110011 11 1010001 1111101 1010001 10100101 010101 11 1110101 01011101 010011 1101001 1111 11 0011111 1101011 0111111 1010110 111011 11 01111 111111 00111101 110111 111011 11 0010111 11101 011101 11011 111101 11 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,476 |
Words | 275 |
Sentences | 29 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 51 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 129 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:23 min read
- 129 Views
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