Austerity of Poetry
That son of Italy who tried to blow,Ere Dante came, the trump of sacred song,In his light youth amid a festal throngSate with his bride to see a public show.
Fair was the bride, and on her front did glowYouth like a star; and what to youth belong,--Gay raiment sparkling gauds, elation strong.A prop gave way! crash fell a platform! Lo,
Mid struggling sufferers, hurt to death, she lay!Shuddering, they drew her garments off--and foundA robe of sackcloth next the smooth, white skin.
Such, poets, is your bride, the Muse! young, gay,Radiant, adorned outside; a hidden groundOf thought and of austerity within.
Words in this poem
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- festal a.
- Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]
- sate v. t.
- To satisfy the desire or appetite of; to satiate; to glut; to surfeit. [Probably shortened fr. satiate: cf. L. satus full. See Satiate.]
- elation n.
- A lifting up by success; exaltation; inriation with pride of prosperity. [L. elatio. See Elate.]
- sackcloth n.
- Linen or cotton cloth such a sacks are made of; coarse cloth; anciently, a cloth or garment worn in mourning, distress, mortification, or penitence.
- austerity n.
- Sourness and harshness to the taste. Horsley. [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Austerity of Poetry is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #54985; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Matthew Arnold, Austerity of Poetry, in Poems (1849–1867), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #54985, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/arnold-poems/austerity-of-poetry.html, id L06976.
Form and metre
Austerity of Poetry is 14 lines in 4 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABBA, complete in 2 of its 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.9 syllables. 29% 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 ABBA blowA · songB · throngB · showA
- 2 ABBA glowA · belongB · strongB · loA
- 3 CDE layC · foundD · skinE
- 4 CDE gayC · groundD · withinE
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 |
|---|---|---|
| That son of Italy who tried to blow, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Ere Dante came, the trump of sacred song, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| In his light youth amid a festal throng | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Sate with his bride to see a public show. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Fair was the bride, and on her front did glow | 10 | ·········· |
| Youth like a star; and what to youth belong,-- | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Gay raiment sparkling gauds, elation strong. | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| A prop gave way! crash fell a platform! Lo, | 10 | ·······/·· |
| Mid struggling sufferers, hurt to death, she lay! | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Shuddering, they drew her garments off--and found | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| A robe of sackcloth next the smooth, white skin. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Such, poets, is your bride, the Muse! young, gay, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Radiant, adorned outside; a hidden ground | 10 | /˘˘///·/˘· |
| Of thought and of austerity within. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
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.