Laurel · James Beattie · The Minstrel and Other Poems

Book II

James Beattie (1735–1803) · 1771–1774

iambic pentameter · spenserian stanza · 567 lines · from The Minstrel and Other Poems

Of chance or change, O let not man complain,Else shall he never, never cease to wail;For, from the imperial dome, to where the swainRears the lone cottage in the silent dale,All feel the assault of Fortune's fickle gale;Art, empire, earth itself, to change are doom'd;Earthquakes have raised to Heaven the humble vale,And gulfs the mountain's mighty mass entomb'd;And where the Atlantic rolls wide continents have bloom'd.

But sure to foreign climes we need not range,Nor search the ancient records of our race,To learn the dire effects of time and change,Which in ourselves, alas! we daily trace.Yet at the darken'd eye, the wither'd face,Or hoary hair, I never will repine:But spare, O Time, whate'er of mental grace,Of candour, love, or sympathy divine,Whate'er of fancy's ray, or friendship's flame is mine.

So I, obsequious to Truth's dread command,Shall here without reluctance change my lay,And smite the Gothic lyre with harsher hand;Now when I leave that flowery path, for aye,Of childhood, where I sported many a day,Warbling and sauntering carelessly along;Where every face was innocent and gay,Each vale romantic, tuneful every tongue,Sweet, wild, and artless all, as Edwin's infant song.

"Perish the lore that deadens young desire,"Is the soft tenor of my song no more.Edwin, though loved of Heaven, must not aspireTo bliss, which mortals never knew before.On trembling wings let youthful fancy soar,Nor always haunt the sunny realms of joy:But now and then the shades of life explore;Though many a sound and sight of woe annoy,And many a qualm of care his rising hopes destroy.

Vigour from toil, from trouble patience grows:The weakly blossom, warm in summer bower,Some tints of transient beauty may disclose;But soon it withers in the chilling hour.Mark yonder oaks! Superior to the powerOf all the warring winds of heaven they rise,And from the stormy promontory tower,And toss their giant arms amid the skies,While each assailing blast increase of strength supplies.

And now the downy cheek and deepen'd voiceGave dignity to Edwin's blooming prime;And walks of wider circuit were his choice,And vales more wild, and mountains more sublime.One evening, as he framed the careless rhyme,It was his chance to wander far abroad,And o'er a lonely eminence to climb,Which heretofore his foot had never trod;A vale appear'd below, a deep retired abode.

Thither he hied, enamour'd of the scene;For rocks on rocks piled, as by magic spell,Here scorch'd with lightning, there with ivy green,Fenced from the north and east this savage dell.Southward a mountain rose with easy swell,Whose long long groves eternal murmur made:And toward the western sun a streamlet fell,Where, through the cliffs, the eye remote survey'dBlue hills, and glittering waves, and skies in gold array'd.

Along this narrow valley you might seeThe wild deer sporting on the meadow ground,And, here and there, a solitary tree,Or mossy stone, or rock with woodbine crown'd.Oft did the cliffs reverberate the soundOf parted fragments tumbling from on high;And from the summit of that craggy moundThe perching eagle oft was heard to cry,Or on resounding wings to shoot athwart the sky.

One cultivated spot there was, that spreadIts flowery bosom to the noonday beam,Where many a rosebud rears its blushing head,And herbs for food with future plenty teem.Soothed by the lulling sound of grove and stream,Romantic visions swarm on Edwin's soul:He minded not the sun's last trembling gleam,Nor heard from far the twilight curfew toll;When slowly on his ear these moving accents stole.

"Hail, awful scenes, that calm the troubled breast,And woo the weary to profound repose!Can passion's wildest uproar lay to rest,And whisper comfort to the man of woes?Here Innocence may wander, safe from foes,And Contemplation soar on seraph wings.O Solitude! the man who thee foregoes,When lucre lures him, or ambition stings,Shall never know the source whence real grandeur springs.

"Vain man! is grandeur given to gay attire?Then let the butterfly thy pride upbraid:To friends, attendants, armies bought with hire?It is thy weakness that requires their aid:To palaces, with gold and gems inlaid?They fear the thief, and tremble in the storm:To hosts, through carnage who to conquest wade?Behold the victor vanquish'd by the worm!Behold what deeds of woe the locust can perform!

"True dignity is his, whose tranquil mindVirtue has raised above the things below;Who, every hope and fear to Heaven resign'd,Shrinks not, though Fortune aim her deadliest blow."This strain from 'midst the rocks was heard to flowIn solemn sounds. Now beam'd the evening star;And from embattled clouds emerging slow,Cynthia came riding on her silver car;And hoary mountain-cliffs shone faintly from afar.

Soon did the solemn voice its theme renew(While Edwin, wrapt in wonder, listening stood):"Ye tools and toys of tyranny, adieu,Scorn'd by the wise, and hated by the good!Ye only can engage the servile broodOf Levity and Lust, who all their days,Ashamed of truth and liberty, have woo'dAnd hugg'd the chain that, glittering on their gaze,Seems to outshine the pomp of Heaven's empyreal blaze

"Like them, abandon'd to Ambition's sway,I sought for glory in the paths of guile;And fawn'd and smiled, to plunder and betray,Myself betray'd and plunder'd all the while;So gnaw'd the viper the corroding file;But now with pangs of keen remorse, I rueThose years of trouble and debasement vile.Yet why should I this cruel theme pursue?Fly, fly, detested thoughts, for ever from my view!

"The gusts of appetite, the clouds of care,And storms of disappointment, all o'erpast,Henceforth no earthly hope with Heaven shall shareThis heart, where peace serenely shines at last.And if for me no treasure be amass'd,And if no future age shall hear my name,I lurk the more secure from fortune's blast,And with more leisure feed this pious flame,Whose rapture far transcends the fairest hopes of fame.

"The end and the reward of toil is rest.Be all my prayer for virtue and for peace.Of wealth and fame, of pomp and power possess'd,Who ever felt his weight of woe decrease?Ah! what avails the lore of Rome and Greece,The lay heaven-prompted, and harmonious string,The dust of Ophir, or the Tyrian fleece,All that art, fortune, enterprise can bring,If envy, scorn, remorse, or pride the bosom wring?

"Let Vanity adorn the marble tombWith trophies, rhymes, and 'scutcheons of renown,In the deep dungeon of some Gothic dome,Where night and desolation ever frown.Mine be the breezy hill that skirts the down,Where a green, grassy turf is all I crave,With here and there a violet bestrewn,Fast by a brook, or fountain's murmuring wave;And many an evening sun shine sweetly on my grave.

"And thither let the village swain repair;And, light of heart, the village maiden gay,To deck with flowers her half-dishevell'd hair,And celebrate the merry morn of May.There let the shepherd's pipe the livelong dayFill all the grove with love's bewitching woe;And when mild Evening comes in mantle gray,Let not the blooming band make haste to go;No ghost, nor spell, my long and last abode shall know.

"For though I fly to 'scape from Fortune's rage,And bear the scars of envy, spite, and scorn,Yet with mankind no horrid war I wage,Yet with no impious spleen my breast is torn:For virtue lost, and ruin'd man I mourn.O man! creation's pride, Heaven's darling child,Whom Nature's best, divinest gifts adorn,Why from thy home are truth and joy exiled,And all thy favourite haunts with blood and tears defiled?

"Along yon glittering sky what glory streams!What majesty attends Night's lovely queen!Fair laugh our valleys in the vernal beams;And mountains rise, and oceans roll between,And all conspire to beautify the scene.But, in the mental world, what chaos drear!What forms of mournful, loathsome, furious mien!O when shall that Eternal Morn appear,These dreadful forms to chase, this chaos dark to clear?

"O Thou, at whose creative smile, yon Heaven,In all the pomp of beauty, life, and light,Rose from the abyss; when dark Confusion, drivenDown, down the bottomless profound of night,Fled, where he ever flies thy piercing sight!O glance on these sad shades one pitying ray,To blast the fury of oppressive might,Melt the hard heart to love and mercy's sway,And cheer the wandering soul, and light him on the way!"

Silence ensued; and Edwin raised his eyesIn tears, for grief lay heavy at his heart."And is it thus in courtly life," he cries,"That man to man acts a betrayer's part?And dares he thus the gifts of Heaven pervert,Each social instinct, and sublime desire?Hail, Poverty! if honour, wealth, and art,If what the great pursue and learn'd admire,Thus dissipate and quench the soul's ethereal fire!"

He said, and turn'd away; nor did the SageO'erhear, in silent orisons employ'd.The Youth, his rising sorrow to assuage,Home, as he hied, the evening scene enjoy'd:For now no cloud obscures the starry void;The yellow moonlight sleeps on all the hills;Nor is the mind with startling sounds annoy'd;A soothing murmur the lone region fillsOf groves, and dying gales, and melancholy rills.

But he from day to day more anxious grew,The voice still seem'd to vibrate on his ear.Nor durst he hope the hermit's tale untrue;For man he seem'd to love, and Heaven to fear;And none speaks false, where there is none to hear."Yet, can man's gentle heart become so fell?No more in vain conjecture let me wearMy hours away, but seek the hermit's cell;'Tis he my doubt can clear, perhaps my care dispel."

At early dawn the Youth his journey took,And many a mountain pass'd and valley wide,Then reach'd the wild; where, in a flowery nook,And seated on a mossy stone, he spiedAn ancient man: his harp lay him beside.A stag sprang from the pasture at his call,And, kneeling, lick'd the wither'd hand that tiedA wreath of woodbine round his antlers tall,And hung his lofty neck with many a floweret small.

And now the hoary Sage arose, and sawThe wanderer approaching: innocenceSmiled on his glowing cheek, but modest aweDepress'd his eye, that fear'd to give offence."Who art thou, courteous stranger and from whenceWhy roam thy steps to this sequester'd dale?""A shepherd boy," the Youth replied, "far henceMy habitation; hear my artless tale;Nor levity nor falsehood shall thine ear assail

"Late as I roam'd, intent on Nature's charms,I reach'd at eve this wilderness profound;And, leaning where yon oak expands her arms,Heard these rude cliffs thine awful voice rebound(For in thy speech I recognise the sound).You mourn'd for ruin'd man, and virtue lost,And seem'd to feel of keen remorse the wound,Pondering on former days, by guilt engross'd,Or in the giddy storm of dissipation toss'd.

"But say, in courtly life can craft be learn'd,Where knowledge opens and exalts the soul?Where Fortune lavishes her gifts unearn'd,Can selfishness the liberal heart control?Is glory there achieved by arts as foulAs those that felons, fiends, and furies plan?Spiders ensnare, snakes poison, tigers prowl:Love is the godlike attribute of man.O teach a simple youth this mystery to scan.

"Or else the lamentable strain disclaim,And give me back the calm, contented mind.Which, late exulting, view'd in Nature's frameGoodness untainted, wisdom unconfined,Grace, grandeur, and utility combined.Restore those tranquil days that saw me stillWell pleased with all, but most with humankind;When Fancy roam'd through Nature's works at will,Uncheck'd by cold distrust, and uninform'd by ill."

"Wouldst thou," the Sage replied, "in peace returnTo the gay dreams of fond romantic youth,Leave me to hide, in this remote sojourn,From every gentle ear the dreadful truth:For if any desultory strain with ruthAnd indignation make thine eyes o'erflow,Alas! what comfort could thy anguish soothe,Shouldst thou the extent of human folly know?Be ignorance thy choice, where knowledge leads to woe.

"But let untender thoughts afar be driven;Nor venture to arraign the dread decree.For know, to man, as candidate for heaven,The voice of the Eternal said, Be free:And this divine prerogative to theeDoes virtue, happiness, and heaven convey;For virtue is the child of liberty,And happiness of virtue; nor can theyBe free to keep the path, who are not free to stray.

"Yet leave me not. I would allay that grief,Which else might thy young virtue overpower;And in thy converse I shall find relief,When the dark shades of melancholy lower;For solitude has many a dreary hour,Even when exempt from grief, remorse, and pain:Come often then; for haply, in my bower,Amusement, knowledge, wisdom thou mayst gain:If I one soul improve, I have not lived in vain."

And now, at length, to Edwin's ardent gazeThe Muse of history unrolls her page.But few, alas! the scenes her art displays,To charm his fancy, or his heart engage.Here chiefs their thirst of power in blood assuage,And straight their flames with tenfold fierceness burnHere smiling Virtue prompts the patriot's rage,But, lo! ere long, is left alone to mourn,And languish in the dust, and clasp the abandon'd urn.

"Ambition's slippery verge shall mortals tread,Where ruin's gulf, unfathom'd, yawns beneath?Shall life, shall liberty be lost," he said,"For the vain toys that Pomp and Power bequeath?The car of victory, the plume, the wreathDefend not from the bolt of fate the brave:No note the clarion of Renown can breathe,To alarm the long night of the lonely grave,Or check the headlong haste of time's o'erwhelming wave.

"Ah, what avails it to have traced the springs,That whirl of empire the stupendous wheel?Ah, what have I to do with conquering kings,Hands drench'd in blood, and breasts begirt with steel?To those, whom Nature taught to think and feel,Heroes, alas! are things of small concern;Could History man's secret heart reveal,And what imports a heaven-born mind to learn,Her transcripts to explore what bosom would not yearn?

"This praise, O Cheronean sage is thine!(Why should this praise to thee alone belong?)All else from Nature's moral path decline,Lured by the toys that captivate the throng;To herd in cabinets and camps, amongSpoil, carnage, and the cruel pomp of pride;Or chant of heraldry the drowsy song,How tyrant blood o'er many a region wide,Rolls to a thousand thrones its execrable tide.

"Oh, who of man the story will unfold,Ere victory and empire wrought annoy,In that Elysian age misnamed of gold),The age of love, and innocence and joy,When all were great and free! man's sole employTo deck the bosom of his parent earth;Or toward his bower the murmuring stream decoy,To aid the floweret's long-expected birth,And lull the bed of peace, and crown the board of mirth?

"Sweet were your shades, O ye primeval groves!Whose boughs to man his food and shelter lent,Pure in his pleasures, happy in his loves,His eye still smiling, and his heart content.Then, hand in hand, Health, Sport, and Labour went.Nature supplied the wish she taught to crave.None prowl'd for prey, none watch'd to circumvent;To all an equal lot Heaven's bounty gave:No vassal fear'd his lord, no tyrant fear'd his slave.

"But ah! the Historic Muse has never daredTo pierce those hallow'd bowers: 'tis Fancy's beamPour'd on the vision of the enraptured bard,That paints the charms of that delicious theme.Then hail, sweet Fancy's ray! and hail, the dreamThat weans the weary soul from guilt and woe!Careless what others of my choice may deem,I long, where Love and Fancy lead, to goAnd meditate on Heaven; enough of Earth I know."

"I cannot blame thy choice," the Sage replied,"For soft and smooth are Fancy's flowery ways.And yet even there, if left without a guide,The young adventurer unsafely plays.Eyes dazzled long by fiction's gaudy rays,In modest truth no light nor beauty find.And who, my child, would trust the meteor blaze,That soon must fail, and leave the wanderer blind,More dark and helpless far, than if it ne'er had shined?

"Fancy enervates, while it soothes the heart;And while it dazzles, wounds the mental sight:To joy each heightening charm it can impart,But wraps the hour of woe in tenfold night.And often, where no real ills affright,Its visionary fiends, an endless train,Assail with equal or superior might,And through the throbbing heart, and dizzy brain,And shivering nerves, shoot stings of more than mortal pain.

"And yet, alas! the real ills of lifeClaim the full vigour of a mind prepared,Prepared for patient, long, laborious strife,Its guide experience, and truth its guard.We fare on earth as other men have fared.Were they successful? Let us not despair,Was disappointment oft their sole reward?Yet shall their tale instruct, if it declareHow they have borne the load ourselves are doom'd to bear.

"What charms the Historic Muse adorn, from spoils,And blood, and tyrants, when she wings her flight,To hail the patriot prince, whose pious toils,Sacred to science, liberty, and right,And peace, through every age divinely brightShall shine the boast and wonder of mankind!Sees yonder sun, from his meridian height,A lovelier scene than virtue thus enshrinedIn power, and man with man for mutual aid combined?

"Hail, sacred Polity, by Freedom rear'd!Hail, sacred Freedom, when by law restrain'd!Without you, what were man? A grovelling herd,In darkness, wretchedness, and want enchain'd.Sublimed by you, the Greek and Roman reign'dIn arts unrivall'd! O, to latest days,In Albion may your influence unprofanedTo godlike worth the generous bosom raise,And prompt the sage's lore, and fire the poet's lays!

"But now let other themes our care engage.For, lo, with modest yet majestic grace,To curb Imagination's lawless rage,And from within the cherish'd heart to brace,Philosophy appears! The gloomy raceBy Indolence and moping Fancy bred,Fear, Discontent, Solicitude, give place;And Hope and Courage brighten in their stead,While on the kindling soul her vital beams are shed!

"Then waken from long lethargy to lifeThe seeds of happiness, and powers of thought;Then jarring appetites forego their strife,A strife by ignorance to madness wrought.Pleasure by savage man is dearly boughtWith fell revenge; lust that defies control,With gluttony and death. The mind untaughtIs a dark waste, where fiends and tempests howl;As Phoebus to the world, is science to the soul.

"And Reason now through number, time, and space,Darts the keen lustre of her serious eye,And learns, from facts compared, the laws to trace,Whose long progression leads to Deity.Can mortal strength presume to soar so high?Can mortal sight, so oft bedimm'd with tears,Such glory bear?--for, lo! the shadows flyFrom Nature's face; confusion disappears,And order charms the eye, and harmony the ears!

"In the deep windings of the grove, no moreThe hag obscene and grisly phantom dwell;Nor in the fall of mountain-stream, or roarOf winds, is heard the angry spirit's yell;No wizard mutters the tremendous spell,Nor sinks convulsive in prophetic swoon;Nor bids the noise of drums and trumpets swell,To ease of fancied pangs the labouring moon,Or chase the shade that blots the blazing orb of noon.

"Many a long lingering year, in lonely isle,Stunn'd with the eternal turbulence of waves,Lo! with dim eyes, that never learn'd to smile,And trembling hands, the famish'd native cravesOf Heaven his wretched fare; shivering in caves,Or scorch'd on rocks, he pines from day to day;But Science gives the word; and, lo! he bravesThe surge and tempest, lighted by her ray,And to a happier land wafts merrily away!

"And even where Nature loads the teeming plainWith the full pomp of vegetable store,Her bounty, unimproved, is deadly bane:Dark woods and rankling wilds, from shore to shore,Stretch their enormous gloom; which to exploreEven Fancy trembles, in her sprightliest mood:For there each eyeball gleams with lust of gore,Nestles each murderous and each monstrous brood,Plague lurks in every shade, and steams from every flood.

"'Twas from Philosophy man learn'd to tameThe soil, by plenty to intemperance fed.Lo! from the echoing axe and thundering flame,Poison and plague and yelling rage are fled.The waters, bursting from their slimy bed,Bring health and melody to every vale:And, from the breezy main, and mountain's head,Ceres and Flora, to the sunny dale,To fan their glowing charms, invite the fluttering gale.

"What dire necessities on every handOur art, our strength, our fortitude require!Of foes intestine what a numerous bandAgainst this little throb of life conspire!Yet Science can elude their fatal ireA while, and turn aside Death's levell'd dart,Soothe the sharp pang, allay the fever's fire,And brace the nerves once more, and cheer the heart,And yet a few soft nights and balmy days impart.

"Nor less to regulate man's moral frameScience exerts her all-composing sway.Flutters thy breast with fear, or pants for fame,Or pines, to indolence and spleen a prey,Or avarice, a fiend more fierce than they?Flee to the shade of Academus' grove;Where cares molest not, discord melts awayIn harmony, and the pure passions proveHow sweet the words of Truth, breathed from the lips of Love.

"What cannot Art and Industry perform,When Science plans the progress of their toil?They smile at penury, disease, and storm;And oceans from their mighty mounds recoil.When tyrants scourge, or demagogues embroilA land, or when the rabble's headlong rageOrder transforms to anarchy and spoil,Deep-versed in man the philosophic sagePrepares with lenient hand their frenzy to assuage.

"'Tis he alone, whose comprehensive mind,From situation, temper, soil, and climeExplored, a nation's various powers can bind,And various orders in one Form sublimeOf policy, that 'midst the wrecks of time,Secure shall lift its head on high, nor fearThe assault of foreign or domestic crime,While public faith, and public love sincere,And industry and law, maintain their sway severe."

Enraptured by the hermit's strain, the youthProceeds the path of Science to explore.And now, expanded to the beams of truth,New energies, and charms unknown before,His mind discloses: Fancy now no moreWantons on fickle pinion through the skies;But, fix'd in aim, and conscious of her power,Aloft from cause to cause exults to rise,Creation's blended stores arranging as she flies.

Nor love of novelty alone inspires,Their laws and nice dependencies to scan;For, mindful of the aids that life requires,And of the services man owes to man,He meditates new arts on Nature's plan;The cold desponding breast of sloth to warm,The flame of industry and genius fan,And emulation's noble rage alarm,And the long hours of toil and solitude to charm.

But she, who set on fire his infant heart,And all his dreams, and all his wanderings sharedAnd bless'd, the Muse, and her celestial art,Still claim the enthusiast's fond and first regard.From Nature's beauties, variously comparedAnd variously combined, he learns to frameThose forms of bright perfection, which the bard,While boundless hopes and boundless views inflame,Enamour'd, consecrates to never-dying fame.

Of late, with cumbersome, though pompous show,Edwin would oft his flowery rhyme deface,Through ardour to adorn; but Nature nowTo his experienced eye a modest gracePresents, where ornament the second placeHolds, to intrinsic worth and just designSubservient still. Simplicity apaceTempers his rage: he owns her charm divine,And clears the ambiguous phrase, and lops the unwieldy line.

Fain would I sing (much yet unsung remains)What sweet delirium o'er his bosom stole,When the great shepherd of the Mantuan plainsHis deep majestic melody 'gan roll:Fain would I sing what transport storm'd his soul,How the red current throbb'd his veins along,When, like Pelides, bold beyond control,Without art graceful, without effort strong,Homer raised high to heaven the loud, the impetuous song.

And how his lyre, though rude her first essays,Now skill'd to soothe, to triumph, to complain,Warbling at will through each harmonious maze,Was taught to modulate the artful strain,I fain would sing:--But ah! I strive in vain.Sighs from a breaking heart my voice confound.With trembling step, to join yon weeping train,I haste, where gleams funereal glare around,And, mix'd with shrieks of woe, the knells of death resound.

Adieu, ye lays that Fancy's flowers adorn,The soft amusement of the vacant mind!He sleeps in dust, and all the Muses mourn,He, whom each virtue fired, each grace refined,Friend, teacher, pattern, darling of mankind!He sleeps in dust. Ah, how shall I pursueMy theme? To heart-consuming grief resign'd,Here on his recent grave I fix my view,And pour my bitter tears. Ye flowery lays, adieu!

Art thou, my GREGORY, for ever fled?And am I left to unavailing woe?When fortune's storms assail this weary head,Where cares long since have shed untimely snow,Ah, now for comfort whither shall I go?No more thy soothing voice my anguish cheers:Thy placid eyes with smiles no longer glow,My hopes to cherish, and allay my fears.'Tis meet that I should mourn: flow forth afresh, my tears.

Words in this poem 145

shall v. i.: To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
lone n.: A lane. See Loanin.
vale n.: A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
dire a.: Ill-boding; portentous; as, dire omens. [L. dirus; of uncertain origin.]
hoary a.: White or whitish."The hoary willows."
repine v. i.: To fail; to wane. [Pref. re- + pine to languish.]
candour n.: Whiteness; brightness; (as applied to moral conditions) usullied purity; innocence. [L. candor, fr. candëre; cf. F. candeur. See candid.]
obsequious a.: Promptly obedient, or submissive, to the will of another; compliant; yielding to the desires of another; devoted. [L.obsequiosus, fr. obsequium compliance, fr. obsequi, fr. obsequi: cf. F. obséquieux, See Obsequent, and cf. Obsequy.]
childhood n.: The state of being a child; the time in which persons are children; the condition or time from infancy to puberty. [AS. cildhad; cild child + -had. See Child, and hood.]
tuneful a.: Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
aspire v. t.: To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
sunny a.: Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
explore v. t.: To seek for or after; to strive to attain by search; to look wisely and carefully for. [L. explorare to explore; ex out+plorare to cry out aloud,prob. orig., to cause to flow; perh. akin to E. flow: cf. F. explorer.]
qualm n.: Sickness; disease; pestilence; death. [AS. cwealm death, slaughter, pestilence, akin to OS. & OHG. qualm. See Quail to cower.]
vigour v. t.: To invigorate. Feltham.
withers n.: The ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse, at the base of the neck. See Illust. of Horse. [Properly, the parts which resist the pull or strain in drawing a load; fr. OE. wither resistance, AS. withre, fr. wither against; akin to G. widerrist withers. ]
yonder adv.: At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
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]
abode n.: Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
piled a.: Having a pile or point; pointed. [From 2d Pile.]
dell n.: A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
streamlet n.: A small stream; a rivulet; a rill.
noonday n.: Midday; twelve o'clock in the day; noon.
rosebud n.: The flower of a rose before it opens, or when but partially open.
teem v. t.: To think fit. G. Gifford. [See Tame, a., and cf. Beteem.]
curfew n.: The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, -- instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself. [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.]
stole n.: A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
lucre n.: Gain in money or goods; profit; riches; -- often in an ill sense. [F. lucre, L. lucrum.]
upbraid n.: The act of reproaching; contumely.
carnage n.: Flesh of slain animals or men. [F. carnage, LL. carnaticum tribute of animals, flesh of animals, fr. L. caro, carnis, flesh. See Carnal.]
wade n.: Woad. Mortimer.
embattled a.: Having indentations like a battlement.
afar adv.: At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
lust v. i.: To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
outshine v. i.: To shine forth.
empyreal a.: Formed of pure fire or light; refined beyond aërial substance; pertaining to the highest and purest region of heaven. [L. empyrius, empyreus, fiery, Gr. In, and Fire.]
debasement n.: The act of debasing or the state of being debased.
disappointment n.: The act of disappointing, or the state of being disappointed; defeat or failure of expectation or hope; miscarriage of design or plan; frustration. [Cf. F. désappointement.]
henceforth adv.: From this time forward; henceforward.
serenely adv.: In a serene manner; clearly.
wealth n.: Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
tyrian a.: Of or pertaining to Tyre or its people.
dungeon n.: A close, dark prison, commondonjon or keep of a castle, these being used as prisons. [OE. donjoun highest tower of a castle, tower, prison, F. donjon tower or platform in the midst of a castle, turret, or closet on the top of a house, a keep of a]
desolation n.: The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation. [F. désolation, L. desolatio.]
breezy a.: Characterized by, or having, breezes; airy.
crave v. t.: To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. [AS. crafian; akin to Icel. krefia, Sw. kr, Dan. kr.]
morn n.: The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
livelong a.: Whole; entire; long in passing; -- used of time, as day or night, in adverbial phrases, and usually with a sense of tediousness. [For lifelong. Cf. Lifelong.]
ghost n.: The spirit; the soul of man. [OE. gast, gost, soul, spirit, AS. gast breath, spirit, soul; akin to OS. g spirit, soul, D. geest, G. geist, and prob. to E. gaze, ghastly.]
horrid a.: Rough; rugged; bristling. [L. horridus. See Horror, and cf. Ordure.]
wage v. i.: To bind one's self; to engage.
chaos n.: An empty, immeasurable space; a yawning chasm. [L. chaos chaos (in senses 1 & 2), Gr. Chasm.]
drear n.: Sadness; dismalness.
dreadful a.: Full of dread or terror; fearful.
pitying a.: Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word.
courtly a.: Relating or belonging to a court. [From Court.]
honour n.: Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
admire v. t.: To regard with wonder or astonishment; to view with surprise; to marvel at. [F. admirer, fr. L. admirari; ad + mirari to wonder, for smirari, akin to Gr. smi, and E. smile.]
starry a.: Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
dispel v. t.: To drive away by scattering, or so to cause to vanish; to clear away; to banish; to dissipate; as, to dispel a cloud, vapors, cares, doubts, illusions. [L. dispellere; dis- + pellere to push, drive. See Pulse a beating.]
nook n.: A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat. [OE. nok; cf. Gael. & Ir. niuc.]
floweret n.: A small flower; a floret.
offence n.: The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
recognise v. t.: To know again; to perceive the identity of, with a person or thing previously known; to recover or recall knowledge of. [From Recognizance; see Cognition, and cf. Reconnoiter.]
dissipation n.: The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste. [L. dissipatio: cf. F. dissipation.]
craft n.: Strength; might; secret power. [AS. cr strength, skill, art, cunning; akin to OS., G., Sw., & Dan. kraft strength, D. kracht, Icel. kraptr; perh. originally, a drawing together, stretching, fr]
ensnare v. t.: To catch in a snare. See Insnare.
prowl v. t.: To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; esp., to search in, as for prey or booty. [OE. prollen to search about; of uncertain origin, perh. for proglen, a dim. of prog to beg, or proke to poke. Cf. Proke.]
scan v. t.: To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
disclaim v. t.: To renounce all claim to deny; ownership of, or responsibility for; to disown; to disavow; to reject.
exulting a.: Rejoicing triumphantly or exceedingly; exultant.
sojourn v. i.: To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident or as a stranger, not considering the place as a permanent habitation; to delay; to tarry. [OE. sojornen, sojournen, OF. sojorner, sejorner, F. séjourner, fr. L. sub under, about + diurnus belonging to the day. See Journal, Diurnal.]
desultory a.: Leaping or skipping about. [L. desultorius, fr. desultor a leaper, fr. desilire, desultum, to leap down; de + salire to leap. See Saltation.]
ruth n.: Sorrow for the misery of another; pity; tenderness. [From Rue, v.: cf. Icel. hryggedh, hrygedh.]
soothe v. t.: To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
arraign v. t.: To call or set as a prisoner at the bar of a court to answer to the matter charged in an indictment or complaint. Blackstone. [OE. arainen, arenen, OF. aragnier, aranier, araisnier, F. arraisonner, fr. LL. arrationare to address to call before court; L. ad + ratio reason, reasoning, LL.]
dreary a.: Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
haply adv.: By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
amusement n.: Deep thought; muse. [Cf. F. amusement.]
languish v. i.: To cause to dr Shak.
bequeath v. t.: To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property. [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cwe to say, speak. See Quoth.]
clarion n.: A kind of trumpet, whose note is clear and shrill. [OE. clarioun, OF. clarion, F. clairon, LL. clario, claro; so called from its clear tone, fr. L. clarus clear. See Clear.]
stupendous a.: Astonishing; wonderful; amazing; especially, astonishing in magnitude or elevation; as, a stupendous pile. [L. stupendus astonishing, p. future pass. of stupere to be astonished at. Cf. Stupid.]
begirt v. t.: To encompass; to begird.
yearn v. t.: To pain; to grieve; to vex. [Also earn, ern; probably a corruption of OE. ermen to grieve, AS. ierman, yrman, or geierman, geyrman, fr. earm wretched, poor; akin to D. & G. arm, Icel. armr,]
captivate v. t.: To take prisoner; to capture; to subdue. [L. captivatus, p. p. of captivare to capture, fr. captivus captive. See Captive.]
heraldry n.: The art or office of a herald; the art, practice, or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial; also, of marshaling cavalcades, processions, and public ceremonies.
elysian a.: Pertaining, or the abode of the blessed after death; hence, yielding the highest pleasures; exceedingly delightful; beatific. [L. Elysius, fr. Elysium.]
lull v. t.: To cause to rest by soothing influences; to compose; to calm; to soothe; to quiet. [Akin to OD. lullen to sing to sleep, G. lullen, Dan. lulle, Sw. lulla; all of imitative origin. Cf. Loll, Lollard.]
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
circumvent v. t.: To gain advantage over by arts, stratagem, or deception; to decieve; to delude; to get around. [L. circumventis, p. p. of circumvenire, to come around, encompass, decieve; circum + venire to come, akin to E. come.]
bounty n.: Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F. bonté, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr. duvas honor, respect.]
historic a.: Of or pertaining to history, or the record of past events; as, an historical poem; the historic page. [L. historicus, Gr. historique. See History.]
deem v. t.: To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
strife n.: The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
instruct a.: Arranged; furnished; provided. [L. instructus, p. p. of instruere to furnish, provide, construct, instruct; pref. in- in, struere. See Structure.]
sublimed a.: Having been subjected to the process of sublimation; hence, also, purified.
albion n.: An ancient name of England, still retained in poetry. [Prob. from the same root as Gael. alp a height or hill. "It may have been bestowed on the land lying behind the white cliffs visible from the coast of Gaul. Alb]
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.]
indolence n.: Freedom from that which pains, or harasses, as toil, care, grief, etc. [L. indolentia freedom from pain: cf. F. indolence.]
brighten v. t.: To make bright or brighter; to make to shine; to increase the luster of; to give a brighter hue to.
waken v. i.: To wake; to cease to sleep; to be awakened. [OE. waknen, AS. wæcnan; akin to Goth. gawaknan. See Wake, v. i.]
lethargy n.: Morbid drowsiness; continued or profound sleep, from which a person can scarcely be awaked. [F. léthargie, L. letgargia, Gr. Lethe.]
jarring a.: Shaking; disturbing; discordant. [See Jar.]
forego v. t.: To quit; to relinquish; to leave. [See Forgo.]
gluttony n.: Excess in eating; extravagant indulgence of the appetite for food; voracity. [OE. glotonie, OF. glotonie, gloutonnie.]
phoebus n.: Apollo; the sun god.
lustre n.: A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
presume v. t.: To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
dwell v. i.: To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
angry a.: Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
tremendous a.: Fitted to excite fear or terror; such as may astonish or terrify by its magnitude, force, or violence; terrible; dreadful; as, a tremendous wind; a tremendous shower; a tremendous shock or fall. [L. tremendus that is to be trembled at, fearful, fr. tremere to tremble. See Tremble.]
trumpets n.: A plant (Sarracenia flava) with long, hollow leaves.
labouring a.: That labors; performing labor; esp., performing coarse, heavy work, not requiring skill also, set apart for labor; as, laboring days.
isle v. t.: To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
teeming a.: Prolific; productive.
unimproved a.: Not improved; not made better or wiser; not advanced in knowledge, manners, or excellence.
bane v. t.: To be the bane of; to ruin. Fuller.
thundering a.: Emitting thunder.
ceres n.: The daughter of Saturn and Ops or Rhea, the goddess of corn and tillage. [L., Ceres, also corn, grain, akin to E. create.]
flora n.: The goddess of flowers and spring. [L., the goddess of flowers, from flos, floris, flower. See Flower.]
fortitude n.: Power to resist attack; strength; firmness. [L. fortitudo, fr. fortis strong. See Fort.]
throb v. i.: To beat, or pulsate, with more than usual force or rapidity; to beat in consequence of agitation; to palpitate; -- said of the heart, pulse, etc. [OE. ; of uncertain origin; cf. Russ. trepete a trembling, and E. trepidation.]
balmy a.: Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging; soothing; refreshing; mild.
avarice n.: An excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness after wealth; covetousness; cupidity. [F. avaritia, fr. avarus avaricious, prob. fr. av to covert, fr. a root av to satiate one's self: cf. Gr. av to satiate one's self, rejoice, protect.]
molest v. t.: To trouble; to disturb; to render uneasy; to interfere with; to vex. [F. molester, L. molestare, fr. molestus troublesome, fr. moles a heavy mass, load, burden. See 3d Mole.]
penury n.: Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. [L. penuria; cf. Gr. pénurie.]
scourge n.: A lash; a strap or cord; especially, a lash used to inflict pain or punishment; an instrument of punishment or discipline; a whip. [F. escourgée, fr. L. excoriata (sc. scutica) a stripped off (lash or whip), fr. excoriate to strip, to skin. See Excoriate.]
embroil v. t.: To throw into confusion or commotion by contention or discord; to entangle in a broil or quarrel; to make confused; to distract; to involve in difficulties by dissension or strife. [F. embrouiller; pref. em- (L. in) + brouiller. See 1st Broil, and cf. Imbroglio.]
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.]
clime n.: A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
pinion n.: A moth of the genus Lithophane, as L. antennata, whose larva bores large holes in young peaches and apples.
mindful a.: Bearing in mind; regardful; attentive; heedful; observant.
cumbersome a.: Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag; embarrassing; vexatious; cumbrous.
ardour n.: Heat, in a literal sense; as, the ardor of the sun's rays. [L. ardor, fr. ardere to burn: cf. OF. ardor, ardur, F. ardeur.]
apace adv.: With a quick pace; quick; fast; speedily. [Pref. a- + pace. OE. a pas at a walk, in which a is the article. See Pace.]
fain v. t.: To be glad ; to wish or desire.
mantuan a.: Of or pertaining to Mantua.
maze n.: A wild fancy; a confused notion. [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw.]
modulate v. t.: To form, as sound, to a certain key, or to a certain portion. [L. modulatus, p.p. of modulari to measure, to modulate, fr. modulus a small measure, meter, melody, dim. of modus. See Mode.]
artful a.: Performed with, or characterized by, art or skill. [From Art.]
glare v. i.: To shine with a bright, dazzling light. [OE. glaren, gloren; cf. AS. glær amber, LG. glaren to glow or burn like coals, D. gloren to glimmer; prob. akin to E. glass.]
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.]
placid a.: Pleased; contented; unruffied; undisturbed; serene; peaceful; tranquil; quiet; gentle. [L. placidus, originally, pleasing, mild, from placere to please: cf. F. placide. See Please.]
afresh adv.: Anew; again; once more; newly. [Pref. a- + fresh.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Book II is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Beattie, Blair, and Falconer With Lives, Critical Dissertations, and Explanatory Notes, Project Gutenberg ebook #8695; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: James Beattie, Book II, in The Minstrel and Other Poems (1771–1774), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/beattie-minstrel/book-ii.html, id L18630.

Form and metre

Book II is 567 lines in 63 stanzas of 9 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCBCC, complete in 53 of its 63 stanzas; the stanza is the Spenserian stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.3 syllables. 24 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 16% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in the Spenserian stanza, 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 ABABBCBCC complain^A · wail^B · swain^A · dale^B · gale^B · doom'd^C · vale^B · entomb'd^C · bloom'd^C
2 ABABBCBCC range^A · race^B · change^A · trace^B · face^B · repine^C · grace^B · divine^C · mine^C
3 ABA-BCB-C command^A · lay^B · hand^A · aye · day^B · along^C · gay^B · tongue · song^C
4 -A-AABABB desire · more^A · aspire · before^A · soar^A · joy^B · explore^A · annoy^B · destroy^B
5 ABABBCBCC grows^A · bower^B · disclose^A · hour^B · power^B · rise^C · tower^B · skies^C · supplies^C
6 ABABBCBCC voice^A · prime^B · choice^A · sublime^B · rhyme^B · abroad^C · climb^B · trod^C · abode^C
7 ABABBCBCC scene^A · spell^B · green^A · dell^B · swell^B · made^C · fell^B · survey'd^C · array'd^C
8 ABABBCBCC see^A · ground^B · tree^A · crown'd^B · sound^B · high^C · mound^B · cry^C · sky^C
9 ABABBCBCC spread^A · beam^B · head^A · teem^B · stream^B · soul^C · gleam^B · toll^C · stole^C
10 ABABBCBCC breast^A · repose^B · rest^A · woes^B · foes^B · wings^C · foregoes^B · stings^C · springs^C
11 ABABBCBCC attire^A · upbraid^B · hire^A · aid^B · inlaid^B · storm^C · wade^B · worm^C · perform^C
12 ABABBCBCC mind^A · below^B · resign'd^A · blow^B · flow^B · star^C · slow^B · car^C · afar^C
13 ABABCDCDD renew^A · stood^B · adieu^A · good^B · brood^C · days^D · woo'd^C · gaze^D · blaze^D
14 ABABBCBCC sway^A · guile^B · betray^A · while^B · file^B · rue^C · vile^B · pursue^C · view^C
15 ABABBCBCC care^A · o'erpast^B · share^A · last^B · amass'd^B · name^C · blast^B · flame^C · fame^C
16 ABABBCBCC rest^A · peace^B · possess'd^A · decrease^B · greece^B · string^C · fleece^B · bring^C · wring^C
17 ABABBCBCC tomb^A · renown^B · dome^A · frown^B · down^B · crave^C · bestrewn^B · wave^C · grave^C
18 ABABBCBCC repair^A · gay^B · hair^A · may^B · day^B · woe^C · gray^B · go^C · know^C
19 ABABBCBCC rage^A · scorn^B · wage^A · torn^B · mourn^B · child^C · adorn^B · exiled^C · defiled^C
20 ABABBCBCC streams^A · queen^B · beams^A · between^B · scene^B · drear^C · mien^B · appear^C · clear^C
21 ABABBCBCC heaven^A · light^B · driven^A · night^B · sight^B · ray^C · might^B · sway^C · way^C
22 ABAB-CB-C eyes^A · heart^B · cries^A · part^B · pervert · desire^C · art^B · admire · fire^C
23 ABABBCBCC sage^A · employ'd^B · assuage^A · enjoy'd^B · void^B · hills^C · annoy'd^B · fills^C · rills^C
24 ABABBCBCC grew^A · ear^B · untrue^A · fear^B · hear^B · fell^C · wear^B · cell^C · dispel^C
25 ABABBCBCC took^A · wide^B · nook^A · spied^B · beside^B · call^C · tied^B · tall^C · small^C
26 ABABBCBCC saw^A · innocence^B · awe^A · offence^B · whence^B · dale^C · hence^B · tale^C · assail^C
27 ABABBCBCC charms^A · profound^B · arms^A · rebound^B · sound^B · lost^C · wound^B · engross'd^C · toss'd^C
28 ABABCDCDD learn'd^A · soul^B · unearn'd^A · control^B · foul^C · plan^D · prowl^C · man^D · scan^D
29 ABABBCBCC disclaim^A · mind^B · frame^A · unconfined^B · combined^B · still^C · humankind^B · will^C · ill^C
30 ABABBCBCC return^A · youth^B · sojourn^A · truth^B · ruth^B · o'erflow^C · soothe^B · know^C · woe^C
31 ABABBCBCC driven^A · decree^B · heaven^A · free^B · thee^B · convey^C · liberty^B · they^C · stray^C
32 ABABBCBCC grief^A · overpower^B · relief^A · lower^B · hour^B · pain^C · bower^B · gain^C · vain^C
33 ABABBCBCC gaze^A · page^B · displays^A · engage^B · assuage^B · burn^C · rage^B · mourn^C · urn^C
34 ABABBCBCC tread^A · beneath^B · said^A · bequeath^B · wreath^B · brave^C · breathe^B · grave^C · wave^C
35 ABABBCBCC springs^A · wheel^B · kings^A · steel^B · feel^B · concern^C · reveal^B · learn^C · yearn^C
36 ABABBCBCC thine^A · belong^B · decline^A · throng^B · among^B · pride^C · song^B · wide^C · tide^C
37 ABABBCBCC unfold^A · annoy^B · gold^A · joy^B · employ^B · earth^C · decoy^B · birth^C · mirth^C
38 ABABBCBCC groves^A · lent^B · loves^A · content^B · went^B · crave^C · circumvent^B · gave^C · slave^C
39 ABABBCBCC dared^A · beam^B · bard^A · theme^B · dream^B · woe^C · deem^B · go^C · know^C
40 ABABBCBCC replied^A · ways^B · guide^A · plays^B · rays^B · find^C · blaze^B · blind^C · shined^C
41 ABABBCBCC heart^A · sight^B · impart^A · night^B · affright^B · train^C · might^B · brain^C · pain^C
42 ABABBCBCC life^A · prepared^B · strife^A · guard^B · fared^B · despair^C · reward^B · declare^C · bear^C
43 ABABBCBCC spoils^A · flight^B · toils^A · right^B · bright^B · mankind^C · height^B · enshrined^C · combined^C
44 ABABBCBCC rear'd^A · restrain'd^B · herd^A · enchain'd^B · reign'd^B · days^C · unprofaned^B · raise^C · lays^C
45 ABABBCBCC engage^A · grace^B · rage^A · brace^B · race^B · bred^C · place^B · stead^C · shed^C
46 ABABBCBCC life^A · thought^B · strife^A · wrought^B · bought^B · control^C · untaught^B · howl^C · soul^C
47 ABA-BCBCC space^A · eye^B · trace^A · deity · high^B · tears^C · fly^B · disappears^C · ears^C
48 ABABBCBCC more^A · dwell^B · roar^A · yell^B · spell^B · swoon^C · swell^B · moon^C · noon^C
49 ABABBCBCC isle^A · waves^B · smile^A · craves^B · caves^B · day^C · braves^B · ray^C · away^C
50 ABABBCBCC plain^A · store^B · bane^A · shore^B · explore^B · mood^C · gore^B · brood^C · flood^C
51 ABABBCBCC tame^A · fed^B · flame^A · fled^B · bed^B · vale^C · head^B · dale^C · gale^C
52 ABAB-CBCC hand^A · require^B · band^A · conspire^B · ire · dart^C · fire^B · heart^C · impart^C
53 ABABBCBCC frame^A · sway^B · fame^A · prey^B · they^B · grove^C · away^B · prove^C · love^C
54 ABABBCBCC perform^A · toil^B · storm^A · recoil^B · embroil^B · rage^C · spoil^B · sage^C · assuage^C
55 ABABBCBCC mind^A · clime^B · bind^A · sublime^B · time^B · fear^C · crime^B · sincere^C · severe^C
56 ABABBC-CC youth^A · explore^B · truth^A · before^B · more^B · skies^C · power · rise^C · flies^C
57 ABABBCBCC inspires^A · scan^B · requires^A · man^B · plan^B · warm^C · fan^B · alarm^C · charm^C
58 ABACBDCDD heart^A · shared^B · art^A · regard^C · compared^B · frame^D · bard^C · inflame^D · fame^D
59 -A-AABABB show · deface^A · now · grace^A · place^A · design^B · apace^A · divine^B · line^B
60 ABABBCBCC remains^A · stole^B · plains^A · roll^B · soul^B · along^C · control^B · strong^C · song^C
61 ABABBCBCC essays^A · complain^B · maze^A · strain^B · vain^B · confound^C · train^B · around^C · resound^C
62 ABABBCBCC adorn^A · mind^B · mourn^A · refined^B · mankind^B · pursue^C · resign'd^B · view^C · adieu^C
63 ABABBCBCC fled^A · woe^B · head^A · snow^B · go^B · cheers^C · glow^B · fears^C · tears^C

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
Of chance or change, O let not man complain,	10	········˘/
Else shall he never, never cease to wail;	10	···/˘/˘···
For, from the imperial dome, to where the swain	11	···˘/˘·····
Rears the lone cottage in the silent dale,	10	···/˘··/˘·
All feel the assault of Fortune's fickle gale;	11	···˘/·/˘/˘·
Art, empire, earth itself, to change are doom'd;	10	·/˘·˘/····
Earthquakes have raised to Heaven the humble vale,	10	/····/·/˘·
And gulfs the mountain's mighty mass entomb'd;	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
And where the Atlantic rolls wide continents have bloom'd.	12	···˘/˘··/˘··
But sure to foreign climes we need not range,	10	···/˘·····
Nor search the ancient records of our race,	10	···/˘/˘·/·
To learn the dire effects of time and change,	10	····˘/····
Which in ourselves, alas! we daily trace.	10	··˘/˘/·/˘·
Yet at the darken'd eye, the wither'd face,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Or hoary hair, I never will repine:	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
But spare, O Time, whate'er of mental grace,	11	····˘˘/·/˘·
Of candour, love, or sympathy divine,	10	·/˘··/˘˘˘/
Whate'er of fancy's ray, or friendship's flame is mine.	13	˘˘/·/˘··/˘···
So I, obsequious to Truth's dread command,	10	··˘/˘···˘/
Shall here without reluctance change my lay,	10	····˘/˘···
And smite the Gothic lyre with harsher hand;	10	···/˘··/˘·
Now when I leave that flowery path, for aye,	10	·····/˘···
Of childhood, where I sported many a day,	10	·/···/˘/··
Warbling and sauntering carelessly along;	10	/˘·/˘/˘˘˘/
Where every face was innocent and gay,	10	·/˘··/˘˘··
Each vale romantic, tuneful every tongue,	10	··˘/˘/˘/˘·
Sweet, wild, and artless all, as Edwin's infant song.	12	···/˘··/˘/˘·
"Perish the lore that deadens young desire,"	11	/˘···/˘·˘/˘
Is the soft tenor of my song no more.	10	···/˘·····
Edwin, though loved of Heaven, must not aspire	10	/˘···/··˘/
To bliss, which mortals never knew before.	10	···/˘/˘···
On trembling wings let youthful fancy soar,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Nor always haunt the sunny realms of joy:	10	·/···/˘···
But now and then the shades of life explore;	10	········˘/
Though many a sound and sight of woe annoy,	10	·/······˘/
And many a qualm of care his rising hopes destroy.	12	·/·····/˘·˘/
Vigour from toil, from trouble patience grows:	10	/˘···/˘/˘·
The weakly blossom, warm in summer bower,	11	·/˘/˘··/˘/˘
Some tints of transient beauty may disclose;	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
But soon it withers in the chilling hour.	11	···/˘··/˘/˘
Mark yonder oaks! Superior to the power	10	·/˘·˘/˘··/
Of all the warring winds of heaven they rise,	10	···/˘··/··
And from the stormy promontory tower,	11	···/˘/˘˘˘/˘
And toss their giant arms amid the skies,	10	···/˘·˘/··
While each assailing blast increase of strength supplies.	12	··˘/˘·˘/··˘/
And now the downy cheek and deepen'd voice	10	···/˘··/˘·
Gave dignity to Edwin's blooming prime;	10	·/˘˘·/˘/˘·
And walks of wider circuit were his choice,	10	···/˘/˘···
And vales more wild, and mountains more sublime.	10	·····/˘·˘/
One evening, as he framed the careless rhyme,	10	·/˘····/˘·
It was his chance to wander far abroad,	10	·····/˘·˘/
And o'er a lonely eminence to climb,	10	···/˘/˘˘··
Which heretofore his foot had never trod;	10	··˘/···/˘·
A vale appear'd below, a deep retired abode.	12	··˘/····˘/˘/
Thither he hied, enamour'd of the scene;	10	/˘········
For rocks on rocks piled, as by magic spell,	10	·······/˘·
Here scorch'd with lightning, there with ivy green,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Fenced from the north and east this savage dell.	10	·······/˘·
Southward a mountain rose with easy swell,	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
Whose long long groves eternal murmur made:	10	····˘/˘/˘·
And toward the western sun a streamlet fell,	11	····/˘··/˘·
Where, through the cliffs, the eye remote survey'd	10	······˘/˘/
Blue hills, and glittering waves, and skies in gold array'd.	12	···/˘·····˘/
Along this narrow valley you might see	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
The wild deer sporting on the meadow ground,	10	···/˘··/··
And, here and there, a solitary tree,	10	·····/˘·˘·
Or mossy stone, or rock with woodbine crown'd.	10	·/˘····/˘·
Oft did the cliffs reverberate the sound	10	····˘/˘˘··
Of parted fragments tumbling from on high;	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
And from the summit of that craggy mound	10	···/˘··/˘·
The perching eagle oft was heard to cry,	10	·/˘/˘·····
Or on resounding wings to shoot athwart the sky.	12	··˘/˘···˘/··
One cultivated spot there was, that spread	10	·/˘·˘·····
Its flowery bosom to the noonday beam,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Where many a rosebud rears its blushing head,	10	·/·/˘··/˘·
And herbs for food with future plenty teem.	10	·····/˘/˘·
Soothed by the lulling sound of grove and stream,	10	···/˘·····
Romantic visions swarm on Edwin's soul:	10	˘/˘/˘··/˘·
He minded not the sun's last trembling gleam,	10	·/˘····/˘·
Nor heard from far the twilight curfew toll;	10	·····/·/˘·
When slowly on his ear these moving accents stole.	12	·/˘····/˘/˘·
"Hail, awful scenes, that calm the troubled breast,	10	·/˘····/˘·
And woo the weary to profound repose!	10	···/˘·˘/˘/
Can passion's wildest uproar lay to rest,	10	·/˘/˘/····
And whisper comfort to the man of woes?	10	·/˘/˘·····
Here Innocence may wander, safe from foes,	10	·/˘˘·/˘···
And Contemplation soar on seraph wings.	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
O Solitude! the man who thee foregoes,	10	·/˘·····˘/
When lucre lures him, or ambition stings,	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
Shall never know the source whence real grandeur springs.	10	·/·····˘/·
"Vain man! is grandeur given to gay attire?	11	···˘//··˘/˘
Then let the butterfly thy pride upbraid:	10	···/˘···/·
To friends, attendants, armies bought with hire?	11	··˘/˘/˘··/˘
It is thy weakness that requires their aid:	10	···/˘·˘/··
To palaces, with gold and gems inlaid?	10	·/˘˘····/·
They fear the thief, and tremble in the storm:	10	·····/˘···
To hosts, through carnage who to conquest wade?	10	···/˘··/˘·
Behold the victor vanquish'd by the worm!	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
Behold what deeds of woe the locust can perform!	12	˘/·····/˘·˘/
"True dignity is his, whose tranquil mind	10	·/˘˘···/˘·
Virtue has raised above the things below;	10	/˘········
Who, every hope and fear to Heaven resign'd,	10	·/˘····/˘/
Shrinks not, though Fortune aim her deadliest blow."	10	···/˘··/˘·
This strain from 'midst the rocks was heard to flow	10	··········
In solemn sounds. Now beam'd the evening star;	10	·/˘····/˘·
And from embattled clouds emerging slow,	10	··˘/˘·˘/˘·
Cynthia came riding on her silver car;	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
And hoary mountain-cliffs shone faintly from afar.	12	·/˘/˘··/˘·˘/
Soon did the solemn voice its theme renew	10	···/˘···˘/
(While Edwin, wrapt in wonder, listening stood):	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
"Ye tools and toys of tyranny, adieu,	10	·····/˘˘˘/
Scorn'd by the wise, and hated by the good!	10	·····/˘···
Ye only can engage the servile brood	10	·/˘·˘/·/˘·
Of Levity and Lust, who all their days,	10	·/˘˘······
Ashamed of truth and liberty, have woo'd	10	˘/···/˘˘··
And hugg'd the chain that, glittering on their gaze,	10	·····/˘···
Seems to outshine the pomp of Heaven's empyreal blaze	14	··/····/˘˘/˘˘·
"Like them, abandon'd to Ambition's sway,	10	··˘/˘·˘/˘·
I sought for glory in the paths of guile;	10	···/˘·····
And fawn'd and smiled, to plunder and betray,	10	·····/˘·˘/
Myself betray'd and plunder'd all the while;	10	·/˘/·/˘···
So gnaw'd the viper the corroding file;	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
But now with pangs of keen remorse, I rue	10	······˘/··
Those years of trouble and debasement vile.	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Yet why should I this cruel theme pursue?	10	·····/˘·˘/
Fly, fly, detested thoughts, for ever from my view!	11	··˘/˘··/···
"The gusts of appetite, the clouds of care,	10	···/˘·····
And storms of disappointment, all o'erpast,	10	····˘/˘···
Henceforth no earthly hope with Heaven shall share	10	//·/˘··/··
This heart, where peace serenely shines at last.	10	····˘/˘···
And if for me no treasure be amass'd,	10	·····/˘·˘/
And if no future age shall hear my name,	10	···/˘·····
I lurk the more secure from fortune's blast,	10	····˘/·/˘·
And with more leisure feed this pious flame,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Whose rapture far transcends the fairest hopes of fame.	12	·/˘·˘/·/˘···
"The end and the reward of toil is rest.	10	····˘/····
Be all my prayer for virtue and for peace.	10	·····/˘···
Of wealth and fame, of pomp and power possess'd,	10	·······/˘/
Who ever felt his weight of woe decrease?	10	·/˘·····˘/
Ah! what avails the lore of Rome and Greece,	10	··˘/······
The lay heaven-prompted, and harmonious string,	10	··//˘·˘/˘·
The dust of Ophir, or the Tyrian fleece,	11	·······/˘˘·
All that art, fortune, enterprise can bring,	10	···/˘/˘···
If envy, scorn, remorse, or pride the bosom wring?	12	·/˘·˘/···/˘·
"Let Vanity adorn the marble tomb	10	·/˘˘˘/·/˘·
With trophies, rhymes, and 'scutcheons of renown,	10	·/˘·····˘/
In the deep dungeon of some Gothic dome,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Where night and desolation ever frown.	10	····˘/˘/˘·
Mine be the breezy hill that skirts the down,	10	···/˘·····
Where a green, grassy turf is all I crave,	10	···/˘·····
With here and there a violet bestrewn,	10	·····/˘˘··
Fast by a brook, or fountain's murmuring wave;	10	·····/˘/˘·
And many an evening sun shine sweetly on my grave.	12	·/·/˘··/˘···
"And thither let the village swain repair;	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
And, light of heart, the village maiden gay,	10	·····/˘/˘·
To deck with flowers her half-dishevell'd hair,	10	···/······
And celebrate the merry morn of May.	10	·/˘··/˘···
There let the shepherd's pipe the livelong day	10	···/˘··/˘·
Fill all the grove with love's bewitching woe;	10	······˘/˘·
And when mild Evening comes in mantle gray,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Let not the blooming band make haste to go;	10	···/˘·····
No ghost, nor spell, my long and last abode shall know.	12	········˘/··
"For though I fly to 'scape from Fortune's rage,	10	·······/˘·
And bear the scars of envy, spite, and scorn,	10	·····/˘···
Yet with mankind no horrid war I wage,	10	··//·/˘···
Yet with no impious spleen my breast is torn:	11	···˘/˘·····
For virtue lost, and ruin'd man I mourn.	10	·/˘··/˘···
O man! creation's pride, Heaven's darling child,	11	··˘/˘·/˘/˘·
Whom Nature's best, divinest gifts adorn,	10	·/˘·˘/˘·˘/
Why from thy home are truth and joy exiled,	10	········/·
And all thy favourite haunts with blood and tears defiled?	13	·············
"Along yon glittering sky what glory streams!	10	˘/·/˘··/˘·
What majesty attends Night's lovely queen!	10	·/˘˘˘/·/˘·
Fair laugh our valleys in the vernal beams;	10	··//˘··/˘·
And mountains rise, and oceans roll between,	10	·/˘··/˘···
And all conspire to beautify the scene.	10	··˘/·/˘···
But, in the mental world, what chaos drear!	10	···/˘··/˘·
What forms of mournful, loathsome, furious mien!	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
O when shall that Eternal Morn appear,	10	····˘/˘·˘/
These dreadful forms to chase, this chaos dark to clear?	12	·/˘····/˘···
"O Thou, at whose creative smile, yon Heaven,	11	····˘/˘··/˘
In all the pomp of beauty, life, and light,	10	·····/˘···
Rose from the abyss; when dark Confusion, driven	11	···˘/··˘/˘/
Down, down the bottomless profound of night,	10	···/˘˘˘/··
Fled, where he ever flies thy piercing sight!	10	···/˘··/˘·
O glance on these sad shades one pitying ray,	10	·······/˘·
To blast the fury of oppressive might,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Melt the hard heart to love and mercy's sway,	10	·······/˘·
And cheer the wandering soul, and light him on the way!"	12	···/˘·······
Silence ensued; and Edwin raised his eyes	10	/˘˘/·/˘···
In tears, for grief lay heavy at his heart.	10	·····/˘···
"And is it thus in courtly life," he cries,	10	·····/˘···
"That man to man acts a betrayer's part?	9	·········
And dares he thus the gifts of Heaven pervert,	11	·······/˘/˘
Each social instinct, and sublime desire?	11	·/˘/˘·˘/˘/˘
Hail, Poverty! if honour, wealth, and art,	10	·/˘˘·/˘···
If what the great pursue and learn'd admire,	10	····˘/··˘/
Thus dissipate and quench the soul's ethereal fire!"	12	·/˘·····˘/˘/
He said, and turn'd away; nor did the Sage	10	····˘/····
O'erhear, in silent orisons employ'd.	10	···/˘···˘/
The Youth, his rising sorrow to assuage,	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
Home, as he hied, the evening scene enjoy'd:	10	·····/˘·˘/
For now no cloud obscures the starry void;	10	····˘/·/˘·
The yellow moonlight sleeps on all the hills;	10	·/˘/······
Nor is the mind with startling sounds annoy'd;	10	·····/˘·˘/
A soothing murmur the lone region fills	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Of groves, and dying gales, and melancholy rills.	12	···/˘··/˘·˘·
But he from day to day more anxious grew,	10	·······/˘·
The voice still seem'd to vibrate on his ear.	10	·····/˘···
Nor durst he hope the hermit's tale untrue;	10	·····/˘·˘/
For man he seem'd to love, and Heaven to fear;	10	·······/··
And none speaks false, where there is none to hear.	10	··········
"Yet, can man's gentle heart become so fell?	10	···/˘·˘/··
No more in vain conjecture let me wear	10	····˘/˘···
My hours away, but seek the hermit's cell;	10	·/˘/···/˘·
'Tis he my doubt can clear, perhaps my care dispel."	12	······˘/··˘/
At early dawn the Youth his journey took,	10	·/˘····/˘·
And many a mountain pass'd and valley wide,	10	·/·/˘··/˘·
Then reach'd the wild; where, in a flowery nook,	10	·······/˘·
And seated on a mossy stone, he spied	10	·/˘··/˘···
An ancient man: his harp lay him beside.	10	·/˘·····˘/
A stag sprang from the pasture at his call,	10	·····/˘···
And, kneeling, lick'd the wither'd hand that tied	10	·/˘··/˘···
A wreath of woodbine round his antlers tall,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And hung his lofty neck with many a floweret small.	13	···/˘··/·/˘˘·
And now the hoary Sage arose, and saw	10	···/˘·˘/··
The wanderer approaching: innocence	10	·/˘˘˘/˘/˘˘
Smiled on his glowing cheek, but modest awe	10	···/˘··/˘·
Depress'd his eye, that fear'd to give offence.	10	˘/······˘/
"Who art thou, courteous stranger and from whence	10	···/˘/˘···
Why roam thy steps to this sequester'd dale?"	10	······˘/˘·
"A shepherd boy," the Youth replied, "far hence	10	·/˘···˘/··
My habitation; hear my artless tale;	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Nor levity nor falsehood shall thine ear assail	11	·/˘·/····˘/
"Late as I roam'd, intent on Nature's charms,	10	····˘/·/˘·
I reach'd at eve this wilderness profound;	10	·····/˘˘˘/
And, leaning where yon oak expands her arms,	10	·/˘···˘/··
Heard these rude cliffs thine awful voice rebound	10	·····/˘·˘/
(For in thy speech I recognise the sound).	10	·····/˘···
You mourn'd for ruin'd man, and virtue lost,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And seem'd to feel of keen remorse the wound,	10	······˘/··
Pondering on former days, by guilt engross'd,	10	/˘·/˘···˘/
Or in the giddy storm of dissipation toss'd.	12	···/˘···˘/˘·
"But say, in courtly life can craft be learn'd,	10	···/˘·····
Where knowledge opens and exalts the soul?	10	·/˘/˘·˘/··
Where Fortune lavishes her gifts unearn'd,	10	·/˘/˘˘··˘/
Can selfishness the liberal heart control?	10	·/˘·/˘˘·˘/
Is glory there achieved by arts as foul	10	·/˘·˘/····
As those that felons, fiends, and furies plan?	10	···/˘··/˘·
Spiders ensnare, snakes poison, tigers prowl:	10	/˘˘/·/˘/˘·
Love is the godlike attribute of man.	10	···/˘/˘···
O teach a simple youth this mystery to scan.	11	···/˘··/˘··
"Or else the lamentable strain disclaim,	10	···˘/˘˘·˘/
And give me back the calm, contented mind.	10	······˘/˘·
Which, late exulting, view'd in Nature's frame	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Goodness untainted, wisdom unconfined,	10	/˘˘/˘/˘·˘/
Grace, grandeur, and utility combined.	10	·˘/·˘/˘˘˘/
Restore those tranquil days that saw me still	10	˘/·/˘·····
Well pleased with all, but most with humankind;	10	·······/˘·
When Fancy roam'd through Nature's works at will,	10	·/˘··/˘···
Uncheck'd by cold distrust, and uninform'd by ill."	12	˘/··˘/··˘/··
"Wouldst thou," the Sage replied, "in peace return	10	····˘/··˘/
To the gay dreams of fond romantic youth,	10	······˘/˘·
Leave me to hide, in this remote sojourn,	10	······˘//˘
From every gentle ear the dreadful truth:	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
For if any desultory strain with ruth	11	··/˘/˘·˘···
And indignation make thine eyes o'erflow,	10	··˘/˘·····
Alas! what comfort could thy anguish soothe,	10	˘/·/˘··/˘·
Shouldst thou the extent of human folly know?	11	···˘/·/˘/˘·
Be ignorance thy choice, where knowledge leads to woe.	11	·/˘···/˘···
"But let untender thoughts afar be driven;	11	······˘/·/˘
Nor venture to arraign the dread decree.	10	·/˘·˘/··˘/
For know, to man, as candidate for heaven,	11	·····/˘˘·/˘
The voice of the Eternal said, Be free:	10	····˘/˘···
And this divine prerogative to thee	10	··˘/˘/˘˘··
Does virtue, happiness, and heaven convey;	10	·/˘/˘˘·/˘/
For virtue is the child of liberty,	10	·/˘····/˘˘
And happiness of virtue; nor can they	10	·/˘˘·/˘···
Be free to keep the path, who are not free to stray.	12	············
"Yet leave me not. I would allay that grief,	10	······˘/··
Which else might thy young virtue overpower;	11	·····/˘·˘/˘
And in thy converse I shall find relief,	10	···/˘···˘/
When the dark shades of melancholy lower;	11	·····/˘·˘/˘
For solitude has many a dreary hour,	11	·/˘··/·/˘/˘
Even when exempt from grief, remorse, and pain:	10	/·˘/··˘/··
Come often then; for haply, in my bower,	11	·/˘··/˘··/˘
Amusement, knowledge, wisdom thou mayst gain:	10	˘/˘/˘/˘···
If I one soul improve, I have not lived in vain."	12	····˘/······
And now, at length, to Edwin's ardent gaze	10	·····/˘/˘·
The Muse of history unrolls her page.	10	···/˘˘····
But few, alas! the scenes her art displays,	10	··˘/····˘/
To charm his fancy, or his heart engage.	10	···/˘···˘/
Here chiefs their thirst of power in blood assuage,	10	·····/··˘/
And straight their flames with tenfold fierceness burn	11	·····/·····
Here smiling Virtue prompts the patriot's rage,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
But, lo! ere long, is left alone to mourn,	10	······˘/··
And languish in the dust, and clasp the abandon'd urn.	13	·/˘······˘/˘·
"Ambition's slippery verge shall mortals tread,	10	˘/˘/˘··/˘·
Where ruin's gulf, unfathom'd, yawns beneath?	10	·/˘·······
Shall life, shall liberty be lost," he said,	10	···/˘˘····
"For the vain toys that Pomp and Power bequeath?	10	·······/˘/
The car of victory, the plume, the wreath	10	···/˘˘····
Defend not from the bolt of fate the brave:	10	˘/········
No note the clarion of Renown can breathe,	10	···/˘·˘/··
To alarm the long night of the lonely grave,	11	·˘/·····/˘·
Or check the headlong haste of time's o'erwhelming wave.	12	···/········
"Ah, what avails it to have traced the springs,	10	··˘/······
That whirl of empire the stupendous wheel?	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Ah, what have I to do with conquering kings,	10	·······/˘·
Hands drench'd in blood, and breasts begirt with steel?	10	······˘/··
To those, whom Nature taught to think and feel,	10	···/˘·····
Heroes, alas! are things of small concern;	10	/˘˘/····˘/
Could History man's secret heart reveal,	10	·/˘˘·/˘·˘/
And what imports a heaven-born mind to learn,	10	··˘/·/····
Her transcripts to explore what bosom would not yearn?	12	·/··˘/·/˘···
"This praise, O Cheronean sage is thine!	9	·········
(Why should this praise to thee alone belong?)	10	······˘/˘/
All else from Nature's moral path decline,	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
Lured by the toys that captivate the throng;	10	·····/˘···
To herd in cabinets and camps, among	10	···/˘˘····
Spoil, carnage, and the cruel pomp of pride;	10	·/˘··/˘···
Or chant of heraldry the drowsy song,	10	···/˘˘·/˘·
How tyrant blood o'er many a region wide,	10	·/˘··/·/˘·
Rolls to a thousand thrones its execrable tide.	11	···/˘···/˘·
"Oh, who of man the story will unfold,	10	·····/˘·˘/
Ere victory and empire wrought annoy,	10	·/˘˘·/˘·˘/
In that Elysian age misnamed of gold),	10	··˘/˘·····
The age of love, and innocence and joy,	10	·····/˘˘··
When all were great and free! man's sole employ	10	········˘/
To deck the bosom of his parent earth;	10	···/˘··/˘·
Or toward his bower the murmuring stream decoy,	11	····/·/˘·˘/
To aid the floweret's long-expected birth,	11	·······˘/˘·
And lull the bed of peace, and crown the board of mirth?	12	············
"Sweet were your shades, O ye primeval groves!	10	······˘/˘·
Whose boughs to man his food and shelter lent,	10	·······/˘·
Pure in his pleasures, happy in his loves,	10	···/˘/˘···
His eye still smiling, and his heart content.	10	···/˘···˘/
Then, hand in hand, Health, Sport, and Labour went.	10	·······/··
Nature supplied the wish she taught to crave.	10	/˘˘/······
None prowl'd for prey, none watch'd to circumvent;	10	········˘/
To all an equal lot Heaven's bounty gave:	11	···/˘·/˘/˘·
No vassal fear'd his lord, no tyrant fear'd his slave.	12	·/˘····/˘···
"But ah! the Historic Muse has never dared	10	···˘/˘··/·
To pierce those hallow'd bowers: 'tis Fancy's beam	10	···/˘/·/˘·
Pour'd on the vision of the enraptured bard,	11	···/˘··˘/˘·
That paints the charms of that delicious theme.	10	······˘/˘·
Then hail, sweet Fancy's ray! and hail, the dream	10	···/˘·····
That weans the weary soul from guilt and woe!	10	···/˘·····
Careless what others of my choice may deem,	10	/˘·/˘·····
I long, where Love and Fancy lead, to go	10	·····/˘···
And meditate on Heaven; enough of Earth I know."	12	·/˘··/˘/····
"I cannot blame thy choice," the Sage replied,	10	·/˘·····˘/
"For soft and smooth are Fancy's flowery ways.	10	·····/˘/˘·
And yet even there, if left without a guide,	10	··/·······
The young adventurer unsafely plays.	10	··˘/˘·····
Eyes dazzled long by fiction's gaudy rays,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
In modest truth no light nor beauty find.	10	·/˘····/˘·
And who, my child, would trust the meteor blaze,	10	·······/˘·
That soon must fail, and leave the wanderer blind,	10	·······/˘·
More dark and helpless far, than if it ne'er had shined?	12	···/˘·······
"Fancy enervates, while it soothes the heart;	10	/˘········
And while it dazzles, wounds the mental sight:	10	···/˘··/˘·
To joy each heightening charm it can impart,	10	···/˘···˘/
But wraps the hour of woe in tenfold night.	10	···/···/··
And often, where no real ills affright,	9	·/˘····˘/
Its visionary fiends, an endless train,	10	·/˘·˘··/˘·
Assail with equal or superior might,	10	˘/·/˘·˘/˘·
And through the throbbing heart, and dizzy brain,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And shivering nerves, shoot stings of more than mortal pain.	12	·/˘······/˘·
"And yet, alas! the real ills of life	9	··˘/·····
Claim the full vigour of a mind prepared,	10	···/˘···˘/
Prepared for patient, long, laborious strife,	10	˘/·/˘·˘/˘·
Its guide experience, and truth its guard.	10	··˘/˘˘····
We fare on earth as other men have fared.	10	·····/˘···
Were they successful? Let us not despair,	10	··˘/˘···˘/
Was disappointment oft their sole reward?	10	··˘/˘···˘/
Yet shall their tale instruct, if it declare	10	····˘/··˘/
How they have borne the load ourselves are doom'd to bear.	12	······˘/····
"What charms the Historic Muse adorn, from spoils,	11	···˘/˘·˘/··
And blood, and tyrants, when she wings her flight,	10	···/˘·····
To hail the patriot prince, whose pious toils,	10	···/˘˘··/·
Sacred to science, liberty, and right,	10	/˘·/˘/˘˘··
And peace, through every age divinely bright	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Shall shine the boast and wonder of mankind!	10	·····/˘·//
Sees yonder sun, from his meridian height,	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
A lovelier scene than virtue thus enshrined	11	······/˘·˘/
In power, and man with man for mutual aid combined?	12	·/·····/˘·˘/
"Hail, sacred Polity, by Freedom rear'd!	10	·/˘/˘˘·/˘·
Hail, sacred Freedom, when by law restrain'd!	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
Without you, what were man? A grovelling herd,	10	·······/˘·
In darkness, wretchedness, and want enchain'd.	10	·/˘/˘˘····
Sublimed by you, the Greek and Roman reign'd	10	˘/·····/˘·
In arts unrivall'd! O, to latest days,	10	·······/˘·
In Albion may your influence unprofaned	10	·/˘··/˘···
To godlike worth the generous bosom raise,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
And prompt the sage's lore, and fire the poet's lays!	12	···/˘··/·/˘·
"But now let other themes our care engage.	10	···/˘·/·˘/
For, lo, with modest yet majestic grace,	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
To curb Imagination's lawless rage,	10	··˘·˘/˘/˘·
And from within the cherish'd heart to brace,	10	·····/˘···

The first 400 of 567 lines; the reader marks them all.

Notes from the edition 8

Beattie's own notes to The Minstrel (Project Gutenberg #8695).

Stanza 1, line 9 See Plato's 'Timæus.'
Stanza 23, line 6 'How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank.' (Shakspeare.)
Stanza 36, line 1 'Cheronean sage:' Plutarch.
Stanza 46, line 1 The influence of the philosophic spirit, in humanizing the mind, and preparing it for intellectual exertion and delicate pleasure;--in exploring, by the help of geometry, the system of the universe;--in banishing superstition; in promoting navigation, agriculture, medicine, and moral and political science.
Stanza 50, line 5 'To explore:' this, from Thomson, who says in his 'Summer'--
Stanza 58, line 7 General ideas of excellence, the immediate archetypes of sublime imitation, both in painting and in poetry. See Aristotle's 'Poetics,' and the 'Discourses' of Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Stanza 60, line 3 'Great shepherd of the Mantuan plains:' Virgil.
Stanza 62, line 6 This excellent person died suddenly on the 10th of February 1773. The conclusion of the poem was written a few days after.

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.

More by James Beattie

The Minstrel and Other Poems