Analysis of The Fatal Sisters
Thomas Gray 1716 (Cornhill, London) – 1771 (Cambridge)
Now the storm begins to lower,
(Haste, the loom of Hell prepares!)
Iron-sleet of arrowy shower
Hurtles in the darkened air.
Glittering lances are the loom,
Where the dusky warp we strain,
Weaving many a soldier's doom,
Orkney's woe and Randver's bane.
See the grisly texture grow,
('Tis of human entrails made!)
And the weights that play below,
Each a gasping warrior's head.
Shafts for shuttles, dipped in gore,
Shoot the trembling cords along.
Sword, that once a monarch bore,
Keep the tissue close and strong.
Mista, black, terrific maid,
Sangrida, and Hilda, see,
Join the wayward work to aid;
'Tis the woof of victory.
Ere the ruddy sun be set,
Pikes must shiver, javelins sing,
Blade with clattering buckler meet,
Hauberk crash, and helmet ring.
(Weave the crimson web of war!)
Let us go, and let us fly
Where our friends the conflict share,
Where they triumph, where they die.
As the paths of fate we tread,
Wading through the ensanguined field,
Gondula and Geira, spread
O'er the youthful king your shield.
We the reins to slaughter give;
Ours to kill, and ours to spare;
Spite the dangers he shall live.
(Weave the crimson web of war!)
They whom once the desert beach
Pent within its bleak domain,
Soon their ample sway shall stretch
O'er the plenty of the plain.
Low the dauntless earl is laid,
Gored with many a gaping wound;
Fate demands a nobler head;
Soon a king shall bite the ground.
Long his loss shall Eirin weep
Ne'er again his likeness see;
Long her strains in sorrow steep,
Strains of immortality!
Horror covers all the heath;
Clouds of carnage blot the sun.
Sisters, weave the web of death;
Sisters, cease, the work is done.
Hail the task, and hail the hands!
Songs of joy and triumph sing!
Joy to the victorious bands
Triumph to the younger king.
Mortal, thou that hear'st the tale,
Learn the tenor of our song.
Scotland, through each winding vale
Far and wide the notes prolong.
Sisters, hence with spurs of speed;
Each her thundering falchion wield;
Each bestride her sable steed.
Hurry, hurry to the field!
Scheme | axab cdcd efeg hihi fjfj xkxk Hlbl gmgm xbxH xdxd fngn ojoj xpxp qkqk riri smsm |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (81%) |
Metre | 10101110 1011101 1011110 100101 1001101 101111 10100101 11011 1010101 1110101 0011101 101011 1110101 10100101 111011 101101 110101 10101 1010111 1011100 1010111 111011 111001001 110101 1010111 1110111 11010101 1110111 1011111 101011 1011 10010111 1011101 101101011 1010111 1010111 1110101 1011101 1110111 10010101 101111 11100101 1010101 1011101 111111 1011101 1010101 110100 1010101 1110101 1010111 1010111 1010101 1110101 11001001 1010101 10111101 10101101 1011101 1010101 1011111 1010011 110101 1010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,992 |
Words | 361 |
Sentences | 27 |
Stanzas | 16 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:51 min read
- 110 Views
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"The Fatal Sisters" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36295/the-fatal-sisters>.
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