- The boy/ stood on/ the burn/ing deck
- Whence all/ but him/ had fled;
- The flame/ that lit/ the batt/le’s wreck
- Shone round/ him o’er/ the dead.
- Yet beau/tiful /and brigh/t he stood,
- As born/ to rule/ the storm;
- A crea/ture of/ hero/ic blood,
- A proud/, though child/like form.
- The flames/ rolled on/ — he would /not go
- Without/ his fath/er’s word;
- That fath/er, faint/ in death/ below,
- His voice/ no long/er heard.
- He called/ aloud/ — “Say, fath/er, say,
- If yet/ my task/ is done?”
- He knew/ not that/ the chief/tain lay
- Un/con/scious of/ his son.
- “Speak, fath/er!” once/ again/ he cried,
- “If I/ may yet/ be gone!”
- And but/ the boom/ing shots/ replied,
- And fast/ the flames/ rolled on.
- Upon/ his brow/ he felt/ their breath,
- And in/ his wav/ing hair,
- And looked/ from that/ lone post/ of death
- In still, yet brave despair.
- And shout/ed but/ once more/ aloud,
- “My fath/er! must/ I stay?”
- While o’er/ him fast/, through sail/ and shroud,
- The wreath/ing fires/ made way.
- They wrapt/ the ship/ in splen/dor wild,
- They caught/ the flag /on high,
- And streamed/ above/ the gall/ant child,
- Like bann/ers in/ the sky.
- There came/ a burst/ of thun/der sound–
- The boy/ — oh! where/ was he?
- Ask of/ the winds/ that far/ around
- With frag/ments strewed/ the sea!–
- With mast/, and helm/, and pen/non fair
- That well/ had borne/ their part–
- But the nob (anapest)/lest thing/ that per/ished there
- Was that/ young, faith/ful hear!
- Felicia Hemans’ “Casabianca”, is written in Iambic tetrameter/trimeter with substitutions. It is written in A/B/A/B rhyme scheme with “A”= tetrameter and “B”= trimeter throughout the entire poem (as you can see by the feet I have added).
- The foot note on page 566 doesn’t leave much room for mistaken interpretation. Casbianca is a tale of courage and loyalty I would say. A young boy, thirteen years of age, remains at his post on a ship that is taken by siege. He refuses to leave his father side, through flames and gunfire. This act of love and respect towards his father ultimately leads to his death.
- I personally loved that the poem was written in such a repetitive rhyme scheme and meter; not only this poem, but most poems. I feel that it is not only more fun and intriguing to read, but somehow, it seems easier to understand, or to predict what is coming next.
- Loved it!
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1 responses to “CASABIANCA –Meter”
mikeh
October 22nd, 2010 at 15:03
I agree with your review of the poem and think that your breakdown of the meter is great. It actually made sense to me. It is a very emotional poem and did enjoy the story of the boy who dies with some sense of personal honor. It sucks to look at it that way, but there was some satisfaction in that boys heart as he stands there among the chaos holding his ground to the end. I would dare say that his story could be made into an epic if his history would further be revealed.