In Memory of Edward Quillinan
I saw him sensitive in frame,I knew his spirits low;And wished him health, success, and fame--I do not wish it now.
For these are all their own reward,And leave no good behind;They try us, oftenest make us hard,Less modest, pure, and kind.
Alas! yet to the suffering man,In this his mortal state,Friends could not give what fortune can,--Health, ease, a heart elate.
But he is now by fortune foiledNo more; and we retainThe memory of a man unspoiled,Sweet, generous, and humane;
With all the fortunate have not,With gentle voice and brow.--Alive, we would have changed his lot:We would not change it now.
Words in this poem
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- humane a.
- Pertaining to man; human. Jer. Taylor. [L. humanus: cf. F. humain. See Human.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
In Memory of Edward Quillinan 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, In Memory of Edward Quillinan, in Poems (1849–1867), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #54985, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/arnold-poems/in-memory-of-edward-quillinan.html, id L07061.
Form and metre
In Memory of Edward Quillinan is 20 lines in 5 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 3 of its 5 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.0 syllables. 10% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
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 A-A- frameA · low · fameA · now
- 2 -A-A reward · behindA · hard · kindA
- 3 ABAB manA · stateB · canA · elateB
- 4 ABAB foiledA · retainB · unspoiledA · humaneB
- 5 ABAB notA · browB · lotA · nowB
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I saw him sensitive in frame, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| I knew his spirits low; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And wished him health, success, and fame-- | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| I do not wish it now. | 6 | ······ |
| For these are all their own reward, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And leave no good behind; | 6 | ······ |
| They try us, oftenest make us hard, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Less modest, pure, and kind. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Alas! yet to the suffering man, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| In this his mortal state, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Friends could not give what fortune can,-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Health, ease, a heart elate. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| But he is now by fortune foiled | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| No more; and we retain | 6 | ····˘/ |
| The memory of a man unspoiled, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Sweet, generous, and humane; | 7 | ·/˘˘·˘/ |
| With all the fortunate have not, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| With gentle voice and brow. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| --Alive, we would have changed his lot: | 8 | ˘/······ |
| We would not change it now. | 6 | ······ |
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.