Laurel · Ambrose Bierce · Shapes of Clay

Salvini in America

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) · 1903

iambic trimeter · ABAB · 44 lines · from Shapes of Clay

Come, gentlemen--your gold.Thanks: welcome to the show.To hear a story toldIn words you do not know.

Now, great Salvini, riseAnd thunder through your tears,Aha! friends, let your eyesInterpret to your ears.

Gods! 't is a goodly game.Observe his stride--how grand!When legs like his declaimWho can misunderstand?

See how that arm goes round.It says, as plain as day:"I love," "The lost is found,""Well met, sir," or, "Away!"

And mark the drawing downOf brows. How accurateThe language of that frown:Pain, gentlemen--or hate.

Those of the critic tradeSwear it is all as clearAs if his tongue were madeTo fit an English ear.

Hear that Italian phrase!Greek to your sense, 't is true;But shrug, expression, gaze--Well, they are Grecian too.

But it is Art! God wotIts tongue to all is known.Faith! he to whom 't were notWould better hold his own.

Shakespeare says act and wordMust match together true.From what you've seen and heard,How can you doubt they do?

Enchanting drama! MarkThe crowd "from pit to dome",One box alone is dark--The prompter stays at home.

Stupendous artist! YouAre lord of joy and woe:We thrill if you say "Boo,"And thrill if you say "Bo."

Words in this poem

goodly a.: Pleasant; agreeable; desirable. [OE. godlich, AS. g. See Good, and Like.]
shrug v. t.: To draw up or contract (the shoulders), especially by way of expressing dislike, dread, doubt, or the like. [Probably akin to shrink, p. p. shrunk; cf. Dan. skrugge, skrukke, to stoop, dial. Sw. skrukka, skruga, to crouch.]
prompter n.: One who, or that which, prompts; one who admonishes or incites to action.
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.]
artist n.: One who practices some mechanic art or craft; an artisan. [F. artiste, LL. artista, fr. L. ars. See Art, n., and cf. Artiste.]

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

About this text

Salvini in America is in the public domain. This text is taken from Shapes of Clay (1903), Project Gutenberg ebook #12658; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Ambrose Bierce, Salvini in America, in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/salvini-in-america.html, id L28055.

Form and metre

Salvini in America is 44 lines in 11 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

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 gold^A · show^B · told^A · know^B
2 ABAB rise^A · tears^B · eyes^A · ears^B
3 ABAB game^A · grand^B · declaim^A · misunderstand^B
4 ABAB round^A · day^B · found^A · away^B
5 ABAB down^A · accurate^B · frown^A · hate^B
6 ABAB trade^A · clear^B · made^A · ear^B
7 ABAB phrase^A · true^B · gaze^A · too^B
8 ABAB wot^A · known^B · not^A · own^B
9 ABAB word^A · true^B · heard^A · do^B
10 ABAB mark^A · dome^B · dark^A · home^B
11 ABAB you^A · woe^B · boo^A · bo^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 trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Come, gentlemen--your gold.	6	·/˘˘··
Thanks: welcome to the show.	6	·/˘···
To hear a story told	6	···/˘·
In words you do not know.	6	······
Now, great Salvini, rise	6	······
And thunder through your tears,	6	·/˘···
Aha! friends, let your eyes	6	·/····
Interpret to your ears.	6	˘/˘···
Gods! 't is a goodly game.	7	····/˘·
Observe his stride--how grand!	6	˘/····
When legs like his declaim	6	····˘/
Who can misunderstand?	6	···˘˘/
See how that arm goes round.	6	······
It says, as plain as day:	6	······
"I love," "The lost is found,"	6	······
"Well met, sir," or, "Away!"	6	····˘/
And mark the drawing down	6	···/˘·
Of brows. How accurate	6	···/˘˘
The language of that frown:	6	·/˘···
Pain, gentlemen--or hate.	6	·/˘˘··
Those of the critic trade	6	···/˘·
Swear it is all as clear	6	······
As if his tongue were made	6	······
To fit an English ear.	6	···/˘·
Hear that Italian phrase!	6	··˘/˘·
Greek to your sense, 't is true;	7	·······
But shrug, expression, gaze--	6	··˘/˘·
Well, they are Grecian too.	6	···/˘·
But it is Art! God wot	6	······
Its tongue to all is known.	6	······
Faith! he to whom 't were not	7	·······
Would better hold his own.	6	·/˘···
Shakespeare says act and word	6	/·····
Must match together true.	6	··˘/˘·
From what you've seen and heard,	6	······
How can you doubt they do?	6	······
Enchanting drama! Mark	6	˘/˘/˘·
The crowd "from pit to dome",	6	······
One box alone is dark--	6	··˘/··
The prompter stays at home.	6	·/˘···
Stupendous artist! You	6	˘/˘/˘·
Are lord of joy and woe:	6	······
We thrill if you say "Boo,"	6	······
And thrill if you say "Bo."	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.

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