John Masefield Flashcards
a spike used to drive cattle
goad
sovereigns; monarchs
potentates
the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended
span
loud, prolonged noise
din
rhythm; cadence; inflection
lilt
happiness; joy
mirth
the action of declaring something or someone sacred
consecration
triumphant; joyful
jubilant
rubbish; waste
dross
related; near; close
akin
whom the speaker honors in stanza 1 of “A Consecration”
“the scorned - the rejected - the men hemmed in with the spears”
what the world is better with
a song
a metaphor in “Laugh and Be Merry”
“So we must laugh and drink from the blue cup of the sky”
“But the lads who carried the koppie and cannot be known.”
alliteration
“Laugh, for the time is brief …”
“a thread the length of a span”
whom the speaker does not honor in stanza 3 of “A Consecration”
“the be-medalled Commander, beloved of the throne,
Riding cock-horse to parade when the bugles are blown”
“Glad till the dancing stops, and the lilt of the music ends.”
refers to death
“Laugh and be proud to belong …”
“to the old proud pageant of man”
whom the speaker honors in stanza 4 of “A Consecration”
the ranker (soldier), the tramp, the slave, and the man with too weighty a burden
“Of these shall my songs be fashioned, my tales be told. Amen.”
Masefield declares his poetic vision and purpose.
