At Study
Whither did my fancy stray?By what magic drawn awayHave I left my studious theme,From this philosophic page,From the problems of the sage,Wandering through a pleasing dream?
'Tis in vain, alas! I find,Much in vain, my zealous mindWould to learned Wisdom's throneDedicate each thoughtful hour:Nature bids a softer powerClaim some minutes for his own.
Let the busy or the wiseView him with contemptuous eyes;Love is native to the heart:Guide its wishes as you will;Without Love you'll find it stillVoid in one essential part.
Me though no peculiar fairTouches with a lover's care;Though the pride of my desireAsks immortal friendship's name,Asks the palm of honest fame,And the old heroic lyre;
Though the day have smoothly gone,Or to letter'd leisure known,Or in social duty spent;Yet at eve my lonely breastSeeks in vain for perfect rest;Languishes for true content.
Words in this poem
- whither adv.
- To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.]
- philosophic a.
- Of or pertaining to philosophy; versed in, or imbued with, the principles of philosophy; hence, characterizing a philosopher; rational; wise; temperate; calm; cool. [L. philosophicus: cf. F. philosophique.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
At Study is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Mark Akenside, Project Gutenberg ebook #9814; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Mark Akenside, At Study, in The Poetical Works of Mark Akenside (1744), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9814, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/akenside-poems/at-study.html, id L09534.
Form and metre
At Study is 30 lines in 5 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABCCB, complete in 3 of its 5 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.2 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 30% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in trochaic 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 AABCCB strayA · awayA · themeB · pageC · sageC · dreamB
- 2 AABCCB findA · mindA · throneB · hourC · powerC · ownB
- 3 AABCCB wiseA · eyesA · heartB · willC · stillC · partB
- 4 AA-BB- fairA · careA · desire · nameB · fameB · lyre
- 5 --ABBA gone · known · spentA · breastB · restB · contentA
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 trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Whither did my fancy stray? | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| By what magic drawn away | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Have I left my studious theme, | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| From this philosophic page, | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| From the problems of the sage, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Wandering through a pleasing dream? | 8 | /˘˘··/˘· |
| 'Tis in vain, alas! I find, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Much in vain, my zealous mind | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Would to learned Wisdom's throne | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Dedicate each thoughtful hour: | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| Nature bids a softer power | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| Claim some minutes for his own. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Let the busy or the wise | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| View him with contemptuous eyes; | 8 | ···˘/˘˘· |
| Love is native to the heart: | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Guide its wishes as you will; | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Without Love you'll find it still | 7 | ······· |
| Void in one essential part. | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Me though no peculiar fair | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Touches with a lover's care; | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Though the pride of my desire | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Asks immortal friendship's name, | 7 | ·˘/˘/˘· |
| Asks the palm of honest fame, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| And the old heroic lyre; | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Though the day have smoothly gone, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Or to letter'd leisure known, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Or in social duty spent; | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Yet at eve my lonely breast | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Seeks in vain for perfect rest; | 7 | ····˘/· |
| Languishes for true content. | 7 | /˘˘··˘/ |
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.