Laurel · James Beattie · The Minstrel and Other Poems

In Which the Preceding Narrative Is Concluded

James Beattie (1735–1803) · 1771–1774

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 76 lines · from The Minstrel and Other Poems

The scene of death is closed! the mournful strainsDissolve in dying languor on the ear;Yet pity weeps, yet sympathy complains,And dumb suspense awaits o'erwhelm'd with fear:

But the sad Muses with prophetic eyeAt once the future and the past explore;Their harps oblivion's influence can defy,And waft the spirit to the eternal shore--

Then, O Palemon! if thy shade can hearThe voice of friendship still lament thy doom,Yet to the sad oblations bend thine ear,That rise in vocal incense o'er thy tomb.

From young Arion first the news receivedWith terror, pale unhappy Anna read;With inconsolable distress she grieved,And from her cheek the rose of beauty fled:

In vain, alas! the gentle virgin wept,Corrosive anguish nipt her vital bloom;O'er her soft frame diseases sternly crept,And gave the lovely victim to the tomb.

A longer date of woe, the widow'd wifeHer lamentable lot afflicted bore;Yet both were rescued from the chains of lifeBefore Arion reach'd his native shore!

The father unrelenting phrenzy stung,Untaught in virtue's school distress to bear;Severe remorse his tortured bosom wrung,He languish'd, groan'd, and perish'd in despair.

Ye lost companions of distress, adieu!Your toils, and pains, and dangers are no more;The tempest now shall howl unheard by you,While ocean smites in vain the trembling shore:

On you the blast, surcharged with rain and snow,In winter's dismal nights no more shall beat;Unfelt by you the vertic sun may glow,And scorch the panting earth with baneful heat;

No more the joyful maid, with sprightly strain,Shall wake the dance to give you welcome home;Nor hopeless love impart undying pain,When far from scenes of social joy you roam:

No more on yon wide watery waste you stray,While hunger and disease your life consume--While parching thirst, that burns without allay,Forbids the blasted rose of health to bloom:

No more you feel contagion's mortal breathThat taints the realms with misery severe,No more behold pale famine, scattering death,With cruel ravage desolate the year.

The thundering drum, the trumpet's swelling strain,Unheard, shall form the long embattled line:Unheard, the deep foundations of the mainShall tremble, when the hostile squadrons join.

Since grief, fatigue, and hazards still molestThe wandering vassals of the faithless deep;Oh! happier now escaped to endless rest,Than we who still survive to wake and weep.

What though no funeral pomp, no borrow'd tear,Your hour of death to gazing crowds shall tell;Nor weeping friends attend your sable bier,Who sadly listen to the passing bell;

The tutor'd sigh, the vain parade of woe,No real anguish to the soul impart;And oft, alas! the tear that friends bestowBelies the latent feelings of the heart.

What though no sculptured pile your name displays,Like those who perish in their country's cause?What though no epic Muse in living laysRecords your dreadful daring with applause?--

Full oft the nattering marble bids renownWith blazon'd trophies deck the spotted name;And oft, too oft, the venal Muses crownThe slaves of vice with never-dying fame.

Yet shall remembrance from oblivion's veilRelieve your scene, and sigh with grief sincere;And soft compassion at your tragic taleIn silent tribute pay her kindred tear.

Words in this poem 24

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.]
defy v. t.: To renounce or dissolve all bonds of affiance, faith, or obligation with; to reject, refuse, or renounce. [F. défier, OF. deffier, desfier, LL. disfidare to disown faith or fidelity, to dissolve the bond of allegiance, as between the vassal and his lord; hence, to ch]
waft v. t.: To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
anna n.: An East Indian money of account, the sixteenth of a rupee, or about 2 [Hindi ana.]
inconsolable a.: Not consolable; incapable of being consoled; grieved beyond susceptibility of comfort; disconsolate. [L. inconsolabilis: cf. F. inconsolable. See In- not, and Console.]
sternly adv.: In a stern manner.
unrelenting a.: Not relenting; unyielding; rigid; hard; stern; cruel.
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,]
unheard a.: Not heard; not perceived by the ear; as, words unheard by those present.
dismal a.: Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky. [Formerly a noun; e. g., "I trow it was in the dismalle." Chaucer. Of uncertain origin; but perh. (as suggested by Skeat) from OF. disme, F. dîme, tithe, the phr]
scorch v. t.: To burn superficially; to parch, or shrivel, the surface of, by heat; to subject to so much heat as changes color and texture without consuming; as, to scorch linen. [OE. scorchen, probably akin to scorcnen; cf. Norw. skrokken shrunk up, skrekka, skrökka, to shrink, to become wrinkled up, dial. Sw. skråkkla to wrinkle (see Sh]
baneful a.: Having poisonous qualities; deadly; destructive; injurious; noxious; pernicious.
undying a.: Not dying; imperishable; unending; immortal; as, the undying souls of men.
parching a.: Scorching; burning; drying.
blasted a.: Blighted; withered.
famine n.: General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. hani loss, lack, ha to leave.]
thundering a.: Emitting thunder.
embattled a.: Having indentations like a battlement.
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.]
sable n.: A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole.]
bier n.: A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
sadly adv.: Wearily; heavily; firmly.
dreadful a.: Full of dread or terror; fearful.
relieve v. t.: To lift up; to raise again, as one who has fallen; to cause to rise. Piers Plowman. [OE. releven, F. relever to raise again, discharge, relieve, fr. L. relevare to lift up, raise, make light, relieve; pref. re- re- + levare to raise, fr. levis l]

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

About this text

In Which the Preceding Narrative Is Concluded 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, In Which the Preceding Narrative Is Concluded, in The Minstrel and Other Poems (1771–1774), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/beattie-minstrel/in-which-the-preceding-narrative-is-concluded.html, id L09623.

Form and metre

In Which the Preceding Narrative Is Concluded is 76 lines in 19 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 20% 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 ABAB strains^A · ear^B · complains^A · fear^B
2 ABAB eye^A · explore^B · defy^A · shore^B
3 ABAB hear^A · doom^B · ear^A · tomb^B
4 ABAB received^A · read^B · grieved^A · fled^B
5 ABAB wept^A · bloom^B · crept^A · tomb^B
6 ABAB wife^A · bore^B · life^A · shore^B
7 ABAB stung^A · bear^B · wrung^A · despair^B
8 ABAB adieu^A · more^B · you^A · shore^B
9 ABAB snow^A · beat^B · glow^A · heat^B
10 ABAB strain^A · home^B · pain^A · roam^B
11 ABAB stray^A · consume^B · allay^A · bloom^B
12 ABAB breath^A · severe^B · death^A · year^B
13 ABAB strain^A · line^B · main^A · join^B
14 ABAB molest^A · deep^B · rest^A · weep^B
15 ABAB tear^A · tell^B · bier^A · bell^B
16 ABAB woe^A · impart^B · bestow^A · heart^B
17 ABAB displays^A · cause^B · lays^A · applause^B
18 ABAB renown^A · name^B · crown^A · fame^B
19 ABAB veil^A · sincere^B · tale^A · tear^B

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
The scene of death is closed! the mournful strains	10	·······/˘·
Dissolve in dying languor on the ear;	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
Yet pity weeps, yet sympathy complains,	10	·/˘··/˘˘˘/
And dumb suspense awaits o'erwhelm'd with fear:	10	··˘/˘/····
But the sad Muses with prophetic eye	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
At once the future and the past explore;	10	···/˘···˘/
Their harps oblivion's influence can defy,	10	··˘/˘/˘·˘/
And waft the spirit to the eternal shore--	10	···/··˘/˘·
Then, O Palemon! if thy shade can hear	10	··········
The voice of friendship still lament thy doom,	10	···/˘·˘/··
Yet to the sad oblations bend thine ear,	10	··········
That rise in vocal incense o'er thy tomb.	10	···/˘/····
From young Arion first the news received	10	········˘/
With terror, pale unhappy Anna read;	10	·/˘·˘/˘/˘·
With inconsolable distress she grieved,	10	······˘/··
And from her cheek the rose of beauty fled:	10	·······/˘·
In vain, alas! the gentle virgin wept,	10	··˘/·/˘/˘·
Corrosive anguish nipt her vital bloom;	10	˘/˘/˘··/˘·
O'er her soft frame diseases sternly crept,	10	····˘/˘/˘·
And gave the lovely victim to the tomb.	10	···/˘/˘···
A longer date of woe, the widow'd wife	10	·/˘····/˘·
Her lamentable lot afflicted bore;	10	·˘/˘˘·˘/˘·
Yet both were rescued from the chains of life	10	···/˘·····
Before Arion reach'd his native shore!	10	·······/˘·
The father unrelenting phrenzy stung,	10	·/˘·˘/˘···
Untaught in virtue's school distress to bear;	10	···/˘·˘/··
Severe remorse his tortured bosom wrung,	10	˘/˘/·/˘/˘·
He languish'd, groan'd, and perish'd in despair.	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
Ye lost companions of distress, adieu!	10	··˘/˘·˘/˘/
Your toils, and pains, and dangers are no more;	10	·····/˘···
The tempest now shall howl unheard by you,	10	·/˘···˘/··
While ocean smites in vain the trembling shore:	10	·/····/˘˘·
On you the blast, surcharged with rain and snow,	10	····˘/····
In winter's dismal nights no more shall beat;	10	·/˘/˘·····
Unfelt by you the vertic sun may glow,	10	··········
And scorch the panting earth with baneful heat;	10	···/˘··/˘·
No more the joyful maid, with sprightly strain,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Shall wake the dance to give you welcome home;	10	·······/˘·
Nor hopeless love impart undying pain,	10	·/˘·˘/˘/˘·
When far from scenes of social joy you roam:	10	·····/˘···
No more on yon wide watery waste you stray,	10	·····/˘···
While hunger and disease your life consume--	10	·/˘·˘/··˘/
While parching thirst, that burns without allay,	10	·/˘·····˘/
Forbids the blasted rose of health to bloom:	10	˘/·/˘·····
No more you feel contagion's mortal breath	10	····˘/˘/˘·
That taints the realms with misery severe,	10	·····/˘˘˘/
No more behold pale famine, scattering death,	10	··˘/·/˘/˘·
With cruel ravage desolate the year.	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
The thundering drum, the trumpet's swelling strain,	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Unheard, shall form the long embattled line:	10	˘/····˘/˘·
Unheard, the deep foundations of the main	10	˘/··˘/˘···
Shall tremble, when the hostile squadrons join.	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Since grief, fatigue, and hazards still molest	10	··˘/·/˘·˘/
The wandering vassals of the faithless deep;	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Oh! happier now escaped to endless rest,	10	·/˘·˘/·/˘·
Than we who still survive to wake and weep.	10	····˘/····
What though no funeral pomp, no borrow'd tear,	10	···/˘··/··
Your hour of death to gazing crowds shall tell;	10	·/···/˘···
Nor weeping friends attend your sable bier,	10	·/˘·˘/·/˘·
Who sadly listen to the passing bell;	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
The tutor'd sigh, the vain parade of woe,	10	·/˘···˘/··
No real anguish to the soul impart;	9	··/˘···˘/
And oft, alas! the tear that friends bestow	10	··˘/····˘/
Belies the latent feelings of the heart.	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
What though no sculptured pile your name displays,	10	···/˘···˘/
Like those who perish in their country's cause?	10	···/˘··/˘·
What though no epic Muse in living lays	10	···/˘··/˘·
Records your dreadful daring with applause?--	10	˘/·/˘/˘·˘/
Full oft the nattering marble bids renown	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
With blazon'd trophies deck the spotted name;	10	···/˘··/˘·
And oft, too oft, the venal Muses crown	10	·····/˘/˘·
The slaves of vice with never-dying fame.	10	·····/˘/˘·
Yet shall remembrance from oblivion's veil	10	··˘/˘·˘/˘·
Relieve your scene, and sigh with grief sincere;	10	˘/······˘/
And soft compassion at your tragic tale	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
In silent tribute pay her kindred tear.	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·

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