Analysis of My Native Land
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
IT chanced to me upon a time to sail
Across the Southern Ocean to and fro;
And, landing at fair isles, by stream and vale
Of sensuous blessing did we ofttimes go.
And months of dreamy joys, like joys in sleep,
Or like a clear, calm stream o'er mossy stone,
Unnoted passed our hearts with voiceless sweep,
And left us yearning still for lands unknown.
And when we found one,—for 'tis soon to find
In thousand-isled Cathay another isle,—
For one short noon its treasures filled the mind,
And then again we yearned, and ceased to smile.
And so it was, from isle to isle we passed,
Like wanton bees or boys on flowers or lips;
And when that all was tasted, then at last
We thirsted still for draughts instead of sips.
I learned from this there is no Southern land
Can fill with love the hearts of Northern men.
Sick minds need change; but, when in health they stand
'Neath foreign skies, their love flies home again.
And thus with me it was: the yearning turned
From laden airs of cinnamon away,
And stretched far westward, while the full heart burned
With love for Ireland, looking on Cathay!
My first dear love, all dearer for thy grief!
My land, that has no peer in all the sea
For verdure, vale, or river, flower or leaf,—
If first to no man else, thou'rt first to me.
New loves may come with duties, but the first
Is deepest yet,—the mother's breath and smiles:
Like that kind face and breast where I was nursed
Is my poor land, the Niobe of isles.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJKLKL MNMNOPOP |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Traditional rhyme |
Metre | 1111010111 0101010101 0101111101 1100101111 0111011101 1101111011 111011101 0111011101 0111111111 0101010101 1111110101 0101110111 0111111111 11011111011 0111110111 111110111 1111111101 1111011101 1111110111 1101111101 0111110101 1101110001 0111010111 11110010101 1111110111 1111110101 1111101011 1111111111 1111110101 1101010101 1111011111 11110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,453 |
Words | 277 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 281 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 68 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 1:24 min read
- 54 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"My Native Land" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22030/my-native-land>.
Discuss this John Boyle O'Reilly poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In