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The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but him had fled;
The flame that lit the battle’s wreck
Shone round him o’er the dead.
Yet, beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm —
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though childlike, form.
The flames rolled on—he would not go
Without his father’s word;
That father, faint in death below,
His voice no longer heard.
He called aloud: “Say, father, say
If yet my task is done!”
He knew not that the chieftain lay
Unconscious of his son.
“Speak, father!” once again he cried,
“If I may yet be gone!”
And but the booming shots replied,
And fast the flames rolled on.
Upon his brow he felt their breath,
And in his waving hair,
And looked from that lone post of death
In still, yet brave, despair;
And shouted but once more aloud,
“My father! must I stay?”
While o’er him fast, through sail and shroud,
The wreathing fires made way.
They wrapped the ship in splendor wild,
They caught the flag on high,
And streamed above the gallant child
Like banners in the sky.
There came a burst of thunder sound —
The boy—oh! where was he?
Ask of the winds that far around
With fragments strewed the sea —
With mast, and helm, and pennon fair.
That well had borne their part;
But the noblest thing which perished there
Was that young, faithful heart!
( Felicia Dorothea Hemans )
Felicia D. Hemans , (1793-1835), an English poet, was born in Liverpool,but spent much of her life in North Wales. “Casabianca” and “The Landing of the Pilgrims” are her best known poems.
The hero of this poem was the son of Louis Casabianca, the captain of L’Orient, the flagship of the fleet that carried Napoleon Bonaparte and his army to Egypt. The incident narrated in this poem occurred during the Battle of the Nile. The powder magazine exploded, the ship was burned, and the captain, and his son perished.
booming : making a very loud noise
despair : not knowing what to do
fragments : very small pieces
A) Answer the following questions.
1) Why was the boy alone on the burning deck?
2) Why was his father called the chieftain?
3) Why did he remain in such great danger when he could have saved himself?
4) Why is it good for us to read a poem like this?
5) What can we learn from this poem?
B) Imagery—Great writers choose words carefully to create mental pictures. In Casabianca, the poet uses many expressions to create the image of a ship in flames. List all the images you can find