On the New American Frigate Alliance
As Neptune traced the azure mainThat owned, so late, proud Britain's reign,A floating pile approached his car,The scene of terror and of war.
As nearer still the monarch drew(Her starry flag displayed to view)He asked a Triton of his train"What flag was this that rode the main?
"A ship of such a gallant mien"This many a day I have not seen,"To no mean power can she belong,"So swift, so warlike, stout, and strong.
"See how she mounts the foaming wave--"Where other ships would find a grave,"Majestic, aweful, and serene,"She sails the ocean, like its queen."--
"Great monarch of the hoary deep,"Whose trident awes the waves to sleep,(Replied a Triton of his train)"This ship, that stems the western main,
"To those new, rising States belongs,"Who, in resentment of their wrongs,"Oppose proud Britain's tyrant sway,"And combat her, by land and sea.
"This pile, of such superior fame,"From their strict union takes her name,"For them she cleaves the briny tide,"While terror marches by her side.
"When she unfurls her flowing sails,"Undaunted by the fiercest gales,"In dreadful pomp, she ploughs the main,"While adverse tempests rage in vain.
"When she displays her gloomy tier,"The boldest foes congeal with fear,"And, owning her superior might,"Seek their best safety in their flight.
"But when she pours the dreadful blaze,"And thunder from her cannon plays,"The bursting flash that wings the ball,"Compells those foes to strike, or fall.
"Though she, with her triumphant crew,"Might to their fate all foes pursue,"Yet, faithful to the land that bore,"She stays, to guard her native shore.
"Though she might make the cruisers groan"That sail within the torrid zone,"She kindly lends a nearer aid,"Annoys them here, and guards the trade.
"Now, traversing the eastern main,"She greets the shores of France and Spain;"Her gallant flag, displayed to view,"Invites the old world to the new.
"This task atchieved, behold her go"To seas congealed with ice and snow,"To either tropic, and the line,"Where suns with endless fervour shine.
"Not, Argo, on thy decks were found"Such hearts of brass, as here abound;"They for their golden fleece did fly,"These sail--to vanquish tyranny."
Words in this poem
- starry a.
- Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- hoary a.
- White or whitish."The hoary willows."
- briny a.
- Of or pertaining to brine, or to the sea; partaking of the nature of brine; salt; as, a briny taste; the briny flood. [From Brine.]
- undaunted a.
- Not daunted; not subdued or depressed by fear.
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- fervour n.
- Heat; excessive warmth. [OF. fervor, fervour, F. ferveur, L. fervor, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On the New American Frigate Alliance is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 1 (of 3), Project Gutenberg ebook #38475; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Philip Freneau, On the New American Frigate Alliance, in Columbus to Ferdinand, and other poems (1786–1815), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38475, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/freneau-poems/on-the-new-american-frigate-alliance.html, id L26081.
Form and metre
On the New American Frigate Alliance is 60 lines in 15 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 12 of its 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 17% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AA-- mainA · reignA · car · war
- 2 AABB drewA · viewA · trainB · mainB
- 3 AABB mienA · seenA · belongB · strongB
- 4 AABB waveA · graveA · sereneB · queenB
- 5 AABB deepA · sleepA · trainB · mainB
- 6 AA-- belongsA · wrongsA · sway · sea
- 7 AABB fameA · nameA · tideB · sideB
- 8 AABB sailsA · galesA · mainB · vainB
- 9 AABB tierA · fearA · mightB · flightB
- 10 AABB blazeA · playsA · ballB · fallB
- 11 AABB crewA · pursueA · boreB · shoreB
- 12 AABB groanA · zoneA · aidB · tradeB
- 13 AABB mainA · spainA · viewB · newB
- 14 AABB goA · snowA · lineB · shineB
- 15 AA-- foundA · aboundA · fly · tyranny
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| As Neptune traced the azure main | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That owned, so late, proud Britain's reign, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A floating pile approached his car, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| The scene of terror and of war. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| As nearer still the monarch drew | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| (Her starry flag displayed to view) | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| He asked a Triton of his train | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "What flag was this that rode the main? | 8 | ········ |
| "A ship of such a gallant mien | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "This many a day I have not seen, | 8 | ·/······ |
| "To no mean power can she belong, | 8 | ···/··˘/ |
| "So swift, so warlike, stout, and strong. | 8 | ···/···· |
| "See how she mounts the foaming wave-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Where other ships would find a grave, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "Majestic, aweful, and serene, | 9 | ˘/˘····˘/ |
| "She sails the ocean, like its queen."-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "Great monarch of the hoary deep, | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| "Whose trident awes the waves to sleep, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| (Replied a Triton of his train) | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| "This ship, that stems the western main, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "To those new, rising States belongs, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| "Who, in resentment of their wrongs, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| "Oppose proud Britain's tyrant sway, | 8 | ˘/·/˘/˘· |
| "And combat her, by land and sea. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "This pile, of such superior fame, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "From their strict union takes her name, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "For them she cleaves the briny tide, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "While terror marches by her side. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| "When she unfurls her flowing sails, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| "Undaunted by the fiercest gales, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| "In dreadful pomp, she ploughs the main, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "While adverse tempests rage in vain. | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| "When she displays her gloomy tier, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| "The boldest foes congeal with fear, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| "And, owning her superior might, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| "Seek their best safety in their flight. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "But when she pours the dreadful blaze, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "And thunder from her cannon plays, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "The bursting flash that wings the ball, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "Compells those foes to strike, or fall. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| "Though she, with her triumphant crew, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "Might to their fate all foes pursue, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| "Yet, faithful to the land that bore, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "She stays, to guard her native shore. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Though she might make the cruisers groan | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "That sail within the torrid zone, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "She kindly lends a nearer aid, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "Annoys them here, and guards the trade. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| "Now, traversing the eastern main, | 8 | ·˘/˘·/˘· |
| "She greets the shores of France and Spain; | 8 | ········ |
| "Her gallant flag, displayed to view, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| "Invites the old world to the new. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| "This task atchieved, behold her go | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| "To seas congealed with ice and snow, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| "To either tropic, and the line, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| "Where suns with endless fervour shine. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| "Not, Argo, on thy decks were found | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "Such hearts of brass, as here abound; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| "They for their golden fleece did fly, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "These sail--to vanquish tyranny." | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.