The Child in Our Soul
Toward God in heaven spaciousWith artless faith a boy looks free,As toward his mother gracious,And top of Christmas-tree.But early in the storm of youthThere wounds him deep the serpent's tooth;His childhood's faith is doubtedAnd flouted.
Soon stands in radiant splendorWith bridal wreath his boyhood's dream;Her loving eyes and tenderThe light of heaven's faith stream.As by his mother's knee of yoreGod's name he stammers yet once more,The rue of tears now payingAnd praying.
When now life's conflict stirringLeads him along through doubtings wild,Then upward points unerringClose by his side his child.With children he a child is stillAnd whatsoe'er his heart may chill,Prayer for his son is warming,Transforming.
The greatest man in wonderMust ward the child within his breast,And list 'mid loudest thunderIts whisperings unrepressed.Where oft a hero fell with shame,The child it was restored his name,His better self revealing,And healing.
All great things thought createdIn child-like joy sprang forth and grew;All strength with goodness mated,Obeyed the child's voice true.When beauty in the soul held sway,The child gave it in artless play;--All wisdom worldly-mindedIs blinded.
Hail him, who forward pressesSo far that he a home is worthFor there alone possessesThe child-life peace on earth.Though worn we grieve and hardened grow,What solace 't is our home to knowWith children's laughter ringingAnd singing.
Words in this poem
- yore adv.
- In time long past; in old time; long since. [OE. , yare, , AS. geára;akin to geár a year, E. year. Year.]
- unerring a.
- Committing no mistake; incapable or error or failure certain; sure; unfailing; as, the unerring wisdom of God.
- solace n.
- Comfort in grief; alleviation of grief or anxiety; also, that which relieves in distress; that which cheers or consoles; relief. [OF. solas, ssoulaz, L. solacium, solatium, fr. solari to comfort, console. Cf. Console, v. t.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Child in Our Soul is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems and Songs, Project Gutenberg ebook #6619, the Arthur Hubbell Palmer translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, The Child in Our Soul, in Poems and Songs (1915), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6619, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bjornson-poems-and-songs/the-child-in-our-soul.html, id L29312.
Form and metre
The Child in Our Soul is 48 lines in 6 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABABCCDD. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 ABABCCDD spaciousA · freeB · graciousA · treeB · youthC · toothC · doubtedD · floutedD
- 2 ABABCCDD splendorA · dreamB · tenderA · streamB · yoreC · moreC · payingD · prayingD
- 3 ABABCCDD stirringA · wildB · unerringA · childB · stillC · chillC · warmingD · transformingD
- 4 ABABCCDD wonderA · breastB · thunderA · unrepressedB · shameC · nameC · revealingD · healingD
- 5 ABABCCDD createdA · grewB · matedA · trueB · swayC · playC · mindedD · blindedD
- 6 ABABCCDD pressesA · worthB · possessesA · earthB · growC · knowC · ringingD · singingD
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Toward God in heaven spacious | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| With artless faith a boy looks free, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| As toward his mother gracious, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| And top of Christmas-tree. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But early in the storm of youth | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| There wounds him deep the serpent's tooth; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| His childhood's faith is doubted | 7 | ·/···/˘ |
| And flouted. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Soon stands in radiant splendor | 8 | ···/˘˘/˘ |
| With bridal wreath his boyhood's dream; | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| Her loving eyes and tender | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The light of heaven's faith stream. | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| As by his mother's knee of yore | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| God's name he stammers yet once more, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The rue of tears now paying | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| And praying. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| When now life's conflict stirring | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Leads him along through doubtings wild, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Then upward points unerring | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Close by his side his child. | 6 | ······ |
| With children he a child is still | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And whatsoe'er his heart may chill, | 7 | ······· |
| Prayer for his son is warming, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Transforming. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| The greatest man in wonder | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Must ward the child within his breast, | 8 | ········ |
| And list 'mid loudest thunder | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Its whisperings unrepressed. | 8 | ·/˘˘···˘ |
| Where oft a hero fell with shame, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The child it was restored his name, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| His better self revealing, | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| And healing. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| All great things thought created | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| In child-like joy sprang forth and grew; | 8 | ········ |
| All strength with goodness mated, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Obeyed the child's voice true. | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| When beauty in the soul held sway, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The child gave it in artless play;-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| All wisdom worldly-minded | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Is blinded. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Hail him, who forward presses | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| So far that he a home is worth | 8 | ········ |
| For there alone possesses | 7 | ··˘/˘/˘ |
| The child-life peace on earth. | 6 | ······ |
| Though worn we grieve and hardened grow, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| What solace 't is our home to know | 9 | ·/˘··/··· |
| With children's laughter ringing | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| And singing. | 3 | ·/˘ |
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.