Hades
I am the King of Hell, nor prone to vexEternal destiny with weak complaint;Nor when I took my kingdom did I mournMy lot, from heav'n expell'd, deny'd to enjoyIts radiant revelry and ambrosial feast,Nor blamed our mighty Sisters, that not oneWould share my empire in the shades of night.But when a younger race of gods arose,And Zeus set many sons on heav'nly seats,And many daughters dower'd with new domain,And year by year were multiply'd on earthTheir temples and their statu'd sanctities,Mirrors of man's ideas that grow apace,Yea, since man's mind was one with my desireThat Hell should have a queen,--for heav'n hath queensMany, nor on all earth reigns any kingIn unkind isolation like to me,--I claimed from Zeus that of the fair immortalsOne should be given to me to grace my throne.Willing he was, and quick to praise my rule,And of mere justice there had granted meWhome'er I chose: but 'Brother mine,' he said,'Great as my power among the gods, this thingI cannot compass, that a child of mine,Who once hath tasted of celestial life,Should all forgo, and destitute of blissDescend into the shades, albeit to sitAn equal on thy throne. Take whom thou wilt;But by triumphant force persuade, as erstI conquer'd heav'n.' Said I 'My heart is set:I take Demeter's child Persephone;Dost thou consent?' Whereto he gave his nod.And I am come to-day with hidden powers,Ev'n unto Enna's fair Sicilian field,To rob her from the earth. 'Tis here she wandersWith all her train: nor is this flow'ry valeFairer among the fairest vales of earth,Nor any flower within this flow'ry valeFair above other flowers, as she is fairestAmong immortal goddesses, the daughterOf gentle-eyed Demeter; and her passionIs for the flowers, and every tendernessThat I have long'd for in my fierce abodes.But she hath always in attendant guardThe dancing nymphs of Ocean, and to-dayThe wise Athena and chaste ArtemisIndulge her girlish fancy, gathering flowersTo deck the banner of my golden brother,Whose thought they guess not, tho' their presence hereAffront his will and mine. If once aloneI spy her, I can snatch her swiftly down:And after shall find favour for my fault,When I by gentle means have won her love.I hear their music now. Hither they come:I'll to my ambush in the rocky cave. [Exit.
Words in this poem
- ambrosial a.
- Consisting of, or partaking of the nature of, ambrosia; delighting the taste or smell; delicious.
- 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.]
- unkind a.
- Having no race or kindred; childless. [See Kin kindred.]
- isolation n.
- The act of isolating, or the state of being isolated; insulation; separation; loneliness. Milman. [Cf. F. isolation.]
- forgo v. t.
- To pass by; to leave. See 1st Forego. [OE. forgan, forgon, forgoon, AS. forgan, prop., to go past, hence, to abstain from; pref. for- + gan to go; akin to G. vergehen to pass away, to transgress. See]
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- whereto adv.
- To which; -- used relatively.
- sicilian a.
- Of or pertaining to Sicily or its inhabitants. Sicilian vespers, the great massacre of the French in Sicily, in the year 1282, on the evening of Easter Monday, at the hour of vespers.
- 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.]
- girlish a.
- Like, or characteristic of, a girl; of or pertaining to girlhood; innocent; artless; immature; weak; as, girlish ways; girlish grief.
- 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,]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hades is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges, Excluding the Eight Dramas, Project Gutenberg ebook #37804; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Bridges, Hades, in The Growth of Love, and Other Poems (1873–1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #37804, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bridges-shorter-poems/hades.html, id L01728.
Form and metre
Hades is 55 lines in a single verse paragraph. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 11 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 49% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -------A---A------------------------------------------- vex · complaint · mourn · enjoy · feast · one · night · aroseA · seats · domain · earth · sanctitiesA · apace · desire · queens · king · me · immortals · throne · rule · me · said · thing · mine · life · bliss · sit · wilt · erst · set · persephone · nod · powers · field · wanders · vale · earth · vale · fairest · daughter · passion · tenderness · abodes · guard · day · artemis · flowers · brother · here · alone · down · fault · love · come · exit
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I am the King of Hell, nor prone to vex | 10 | ·········· |
| Eternal destiny with weak complaint; | 10 | ˘/˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| Nor when I took my kingdom did I mourn | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| My lot, from heav'n expell'd, deny'd to enjoy | 11 | ····˘/···˘/ |
| Its radiant revelry and ambrosial feast, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| Nor blamed our mighty Sisters, that not one | 10 | ··//˘/˘··· |
| Would share my empire in the shades of night. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| But when a younger race of gods arose, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| And Zeus set many sons on heav'nly seats, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And many daughters dower'd with new domain, | 10 | ·//˘····˘/ |
| And year by year were multiply'd on earth | 10 | ·········· |
| Their temples and their statu'd sanctities, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Mirrors of man's ideas that grow apace, | 11 | /˘··˘/˘··˘/ |
| Yea, since man's mind was one with my desire | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| That Hell should have a queen,--for heav'n hath queens | 10 | ·········· |
| Many, nor on all earth reigns any king | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| In unkind isolation like to me,-- | 10 | ·˘/·˘/˘··· |
| I claimed from Zeus that of the fair immortals | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| One should be given to me to grace my throne. | 10 | ···/······ |
| Willing he was, and quick to praise my rule, | 10 | /˘········ |
| And of mere justice there had granted me | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Whome'er I chose: but 'Brother mine,' he said, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| 'Great as my power among the gods, this thing | 10 | ···/······ |
| I cannot compass, that a child of mine, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Who once hath tasted of celestial life, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Should all forgo, and destitute of bliss | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Descend into the shades, albeit to sit | 11 | ˘/····˘/˘·· |
| An equal on thy throne. Take whom thou wilt; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| But by triumphant force persuade, as erst | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/·· |
| I conquer'd heav'n.' Said I 'My heart is set: | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I take Demeter's child Persephone; | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| Dost thou consent?' Whereto he gave his nod. | 10 | ··˘/˘/···· |
| And I am come to-day with hidden powers, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Ev'n unto Enna's fair Sicilian field, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| To rob her from the earth. 'Tis here she wanders | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| With all her train: nor is this flow'ry vale | 10 | ·········· |
| Fairer among the fairest vales of earth, | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| Nor any flower within this flow'ry vale | 10 | ·/˘/······ |
| Fair above other flowers, as she is fairest | 11 | ···/˘/···/˘ |
| Among immortal goddesses, the daughter | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Of gentle-eyed Demeter; and her passion | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘··/˘ |
| Is for the flowers, and every tenderness | 11 | ···/·/˘˘/˘˘ |
| That I have long'd for in my fierce abodes. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| But she hath always in attendant guard | 10 | ···/··˘/˘· |
| The dancing nymphs of Ocean, and to-day | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The wise Athena and chaste Artemis | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Indulge her girlish fancy, gathering flowers | 10 | ˘/·/˘/˘/˘/ |
| To deck the banner of my golden brother, | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Whose thought they guess not, tho' their presence here | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Affront his will and mine. If once alone | 10 | ˘/······˘/ |
| I spy her, I can snatch her swiftly down: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And after shall find favour for my fault, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| When I by gentle means have won her love. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I hear their music now. Hither they come: | 10 | ···/˘·/˘·· |
| I'll to my ambush in the rocky cave. [Exit. | 12 | ···/···/˘·/˘ |
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