Analysis of Sixty Years Ago

Alice Guerin Crist 1876 (Clare Castle) – 1941 (Toowoomba)



I
The double-blossomed peach-trees with rosy bloom were gay
When grandpa rode beneath them upon his courting way,
From the white gate to the homestead they stretched in stately row,
And showered his path with petals, just sixty years ago.
His riding suit was spick and span, his jingling bridle rein,
Was polished to the limit, his top-boots shone again;
A mass of youthful vanity, from curly head to toe,
Was my darling gay young grandpa – just sixty years ago.

Upon the broad veranda, demure my grandma sat,
And hid her girlish blushes beneath her garden hat,
Her dainty flowing muslins enfolded her like snow;
Ah! Very sweet my grandma was, just sixty years ago.
With sweeping bow and fluttering heart he told his hopes and fears,
And grandma gently said him ‘Yea’, mid blushes, smiles and tears.
When the double-blossomed peach-trees with fruit were bending low,
Good Father Flynn united them – just sixty years ago.

II
There’s a sound of mirthful revel in the dear old home to-night,
Where the merry young folk frolic ‘neath the incandescent light,
Jazzing on the broad veranda, listening to the radio,
Knowing wonders quite undreamt of in the days of long ago.
On the vine-enclosed veranda, sits my grandpa in his chair,
And the flower-scented night winds stirs the white locks of his hair;
Grandma sits and smiles beside him, happy in the young folks glee,
Such a dainty dear old lady, ever young at heart is she.

And the harvest of their labours in the moonlight stretches wide
All the land they’ve won and toiled for as they struggled side by side,
In their brave old eyes no shadow from the griefs of gone-by years,
For their hearts beat high within them – dauntless breed of pioneers.
Hand in hand they sit together, while the angels smile above,
On their long unbroken record of faith, sacrifice and love;
From the double-blossomed peach trees come the petals falling slow,
Bringing sweet and fadeless memories of Sixty Years ago.


Scheme ABBCCXXCC DDCCEXCC AFFCCGGHH IIEEJJCC
Poetic Form
Metre 1 0101011110101 111011011101 1011101110101 01011110110101 1101110111101 1101010111101 01110100110111 1110111110101 0101010011101 0101010010101 0101011011 11011101110101 110101001111101 01010111110101 10101011110101 11010101110101 1 10111100011111 10101110100101 11010101001010 10101110011101 10101010111011 001010111011111 101010111000111 101011101011111 0010111001101 101110111110111 01111111011111 1111101111101 101110101010101 11101001111001 101010111010101 10101100110101
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,933
Words 339
Sentences 11
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 9, 8, 9, 8
Lines Amount 34
Letters per line (avg) 45
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 386
Words per stanza (avg) 84
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:41 min read
46

Alice Guerin Crist

Alice Guerin Crist was an Australian poet, author and journalist. more…

All Alice Guerin Crist poems | Alice Guerin Crist Books

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