Firewood Gathers

Analysis
In the first stanza, the author describes the scenery of the party in the first four lines “There was a sound... women and brave men.” In these four lines, the author describes the beautifully dressed women and men that have gathered in Brussels, Capital of Belgium. The next three lines give more detail description of how everyone is happily enjoying the party; the author uses a simile in the line “all went marry as a marriage-bell”. In this line, the author compares the atmosphere of the party to a marriage. The author uses repetition in last line “But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!” to create suspense and thriller for the readers.
In the second stanza, the first five lines “Did ye not hear it? —No; ’twas but the wind, Or the car... with flying feet—” are written in a conversational form. The author used this style to illustrate the reaction that the people had at the party after hearing the strange sound. The third line of the stanza is “On with the dance! let joy be unconfined” shows the unimportance of the sound. Towards the end of stanza the author uses a parallel series of adverbs “nearer, clearer, deadlier” which also have an internal rhyme “near and clear to create excitement. The author again effectively uses repetition “Arm! arm! it is -- it is” to produce thrill and anticipation. Therefore, this stanza changes the atmosphere of the party from a happy and joyful to a curious and thrilling.
In the third stanza, the author reveals the reaction of the people at the party after they heard a cannon’s roar. In the lines “And gathering tears, and... an hour ago,” the author reveals how from a joyful and lively party to a sad and fearful moment. Then