Analysis of The Wail of Two Cities
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
Chicago, October 9,1871.
GAUNT in the midst of the prairie,
She who was once so fair;
Charred and rent are her garments,
Heavy and dark like cerements;
Silent, but round her the air
Plaintively wails, 'Miserere!'
Proud like a beautiful maiden,
Art-like from forehead to feet,
Was she till pressed like a leman
Close to the breast of the demon,
Lusting for one so sweet,
So were her shoulders laden.
Friends she had, rich in her treasures:
Shall the old taunt be true,—
Fallen, they turn their cold faces,
Seeking new wealth-gilded places,
Saying we never knew
Aught of her smiles or her pleasures?
Silent she stands on the prairie,
Wrapped in her fire-scathed sheet:
Around her, thank God! is the Nation,
Weeping for her desolation,
Pouring its gold at her feet,
Answering her 'Miserere! '
Boston, November 9,1872.
O broad-breasted Queen among Nations!
O Mother, so strong in thy youth!
Has the Lord looked upon thee in ire,
And willed thou be chastened by fire,
Without any ruth?
Has the Merciful tired of His mercy,
And turned from thy sinning in wrath,
That the world with raised hand sees and pities
Thy desolate daughters, thy cities,
Despoiled on their path?
One year since thy youngest was stricken:
Thy eldest lies stricken to-day.
Ah! God, was thy wrath without pity,
To tear the strong heart from our city,
And cast it away?
O Father! forgive us our doubting;
The stain from our weak souls efface;
Thou rebukest, we know, but to chasten;
Thy hand has but fallen to hasten
Return to thy grace.
Let us rise purified from our ashes
As sinners have risen who grieved;
Let us show that twice-sent desolation
On every true heart in the nation
Has conquest achieved.
Scheme | A BCDDCA EFEEFE GHIIHG BFEEFA A XJXAJ BKDXK ELBBL XMEEM INEEN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010 10011010 111111 1011010 100111 1011001 1011 11010010 1111011 11111010 11011010 101111 1001010 11110010 101111 10111110 10111010 101101 11011010 10111010 1001011 010111010 1010010 1011101 10001 10010 111010110 11011011 101101101 011110110 01101 10100101110 01111001 101111101 110010110 1111 111110110 11011011 111110110 1101111010 01101 1100111010 011101101 11111110 111110110 01111 1111011010 11011011 111111010 1100110010 11001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,657 |
Words | 298 |
Sentences | 18 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 6, 6, 6, 6, 1, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 51 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 119 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 31, 2023
- 1:28 min read
- 71 Views
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"The Wail of Two Cities" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22085/the-wail-of-two-cities>.
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