Analysis of Bona. The Pirate’s Song
Letitia Elizabeth Landon 1802 (Chelsea) – 1838 (Cape Coast)
To the mast nail our flag, it is dark as the grave,
Or the death which it bears while it sweeps o’er the wave.
Let our deck clear for action, our guns be prepared;
Be the boarding-axe sharpened, the scimetar bared;
Set the canisters ready, and then bring to me,
For the last of my duties, the powder-room key.
It shall never be lowered, the black flag we bear;
If the sea be denied us, we sweep through the air.
Unshared have we left our last victory’s prey;
It is mine to divide it, and yours to obey:
There are shawls that might suit a sultana’s white neck,
And pearls that are fair as the arms they will deck;
There are flasks which, unseal them, the air will disclose
Diametta’s fair summers, the home of the rose.
I claim not a portion: I ask but as mine,
'Tis to drink to our victory—one cup of red wine.
Some fight, 'tis for riches; some fight, ’tis for fame:
The first I despise, and the last is a name.
I fight, ’tis for vengeance. I love to see flow,
At the stroke of my sabre, the life of my foe.
I strike for the memory of long vanished years;
I only shed blood, where another sheds tears.
I come, as the lightning comes red from above,
O’er the race that I loathe, to the battle I love.
Scheme | AABBCCDD EEFFGGHH IIJJXXKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1011101111101 101111111101 11011110101101 1010110011 101001001111 101111001011 111011001111 101101111101 111110111 111101101101 1111110111 01111101111 111101101101 111001101 11101011111 11111010011111 11111011111 01101001101 11111011111 101111001111 111010011101 11011101011 11101011101 101111101011 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,203 |
Words | 235 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 10 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 303 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 78 |
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"Bona. The Pirate’s Song" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/52694/bona.-the-pirate%E2%80%99s-song>.
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