Analysis of Hornblower, Horatio
My father-in-law’s favourite.
Charlie H.
And ships, bells, moorings.
Messing around the decks at Port Stanley.
Smiling, and getting
Special privileges betimes.
Perhaps with daughter Hilary.
But I digress…
Hornblower, middle ranking
Ship’s Officer in His Majesty’s Service.
Keeping lookout for cursed
“Frogs” to cannon blast.
With horrible splintering effect.
Drilling speed and accuracy
Of smoky volleys. Reload Lads!
Scampering to topsails, crow’s nest.
Where the world and horizon
Would rock and reel.
The blue all mesmerizing.
Deadly fall at one’s elbow.
How to establish firm, equitable
Governance.
When to issue large rations.
And so inform Cook.
When to double the issue of grog
For courage sake.
When to flog, or heaven’s sake
When to keelhaul, with one Man’s
Very life at stake.
Scraping, barnacled bottom
Abrasions, blood, sharks.
Oxygen spent.
Shipmates looking for results.
Aforedecks.
Cannot question such measures.
More than likely burial at sea.
Appropriate Psalm .
Surely the 16th, and Resurrection.
Respectful slow snare drums.
Slipped beneath. No splash.
Covered honourably with
Colours of the Jack.
Would be a good night
In officers’ mess
For stories of seafaring,
Ugly seas, women ashore, over port or brandy.
Ribald jokes and plays on words.
English Words.
Irish could only wait at tables.
Scheme | AXBCDBCE DXAAACXAFXDX XXXXXGGXGXXAXB XCXFXXXX AEDAHHX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110011 101 01110 1001011110 10010 101001 01110100 1101 101010 110001110 10111 11101 110010001 10101000 11010011 1001111 1010010 1101 011100 101111 1101011000 100 1110110 01011 111001011 1101 1111101 111111 10111 10110 01011 1001 110101 1 1010110 111010011 01001 100110010 010111 10111 1011 1101 11011 01001 11011 1011001101110 1010111 101 101101110 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,343 |
Words | 245 |
Sentences | 37 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 12, 14, 8, 7 |
Lines Amount | 49 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 4 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 209 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
About this poem
The famous war at sea novels by C. S. Forester. Napoleonic theatre and treachery. Ships, storms, cannon fire, antics for the wind advantage, etc. Latterly I would read adventures by Patrick O’brien featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin. Same salty stuff. Satisfying.
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Written on March 06, 2023
Submitted by dougb.19255 on March 06, 2023
Modified by dougb.19255 on March 06, 2023
- 1:13 min read
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"Hornblower, Horatio" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/152879/hornblower%2C-horatio>.
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