One Year After II
Adventure-seasoned and storm-buffeted,I shun all signs of anchorage, becauseThe zest of life exceeds the bound of laws.New gales of tropic fury round my headBreak lashing me through hours of soulful dread;But when the terror thins and, spent, withdraws,Leaving me wondering awhile, I pause--But soon again the risky ways I tread!No rigid road for me, no peace, no rest,While molten elements run through my blood;And beauty-burning bodies manifestTheir warm, heart-melting motions to be wooed;And passion boldly rising in my breast,Like rivers of the Spring, lets loose its flood.
Words in this poem
- zest n.
- A piece of orange or lemon peel, or the aromatic oil which may be squeezed from such peel, used to give flavor to liquor, etc. [F. zeste, probably fr. L. schistos split, cleft, divided, Gr. Schism.]
- lashing n.
- The act of one who, or that which, lashes; castigation; chastisement. South. Lashing out, a striking out; also, extravagance.
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- boldly adv.
- In a bold manner. [AS. bealdlice.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
One Year After II is in the public domain. This text is taken from Harlem shadows, Project Gutenberg ebook #64989; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Claude McKay, One Year After II, in Harlem Shadows (1922), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #64989, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/mckay-harlem-shadows/one-year-after-ii.html, id L01403.
Form and metre
One Year After II is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 21% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 -AABBAABCDC-CD buffeted · becauseA · lawsA · headB · dreadB · withdrawsA · pauseA · treadB · restC · bloodD · manifestC · wooed · breastC · floodD
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure-seasoned and storm-buffeted, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| I shun all signs of anchorage, because | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| The zest of life exceeds the bound of laws. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| New gales of tropic fury round my head | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Break lashing me through hours of soulful dread; | 10 | ·/˘··/·/˘· |
| But when the terror thins and, spent, withdraws, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Leaving me wondering awhile, I pause-- | 10 | /˘·/˘˘˘/·· |
| But soon again the risky ways I tread! | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| No rigid road for me, no peace, no rest, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| While molten elements run through my blood; | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| And beauty-burning bodies manifest | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| Their warm, heart-melting motions to be wooed; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| And passion boldly rising in my breast, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| Like rivers of the Spring, lets loose its flood. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
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.