Inachus
That but a small and easy thing now seems,Which from my house when I came forth at noonA dream was and beyond the reach of man.'Tis now a fancy of the will, a word,Liberty's lightest prize. Yet still as oneWho loiters on the threshold of delight,Delaying pleasure for the love of pleasure,I dally--Come, Argeia, and share my triumph!And set our daughter by thee; though her eyesAre young, there are no eyes this day so youngAs shall forget this day--while one thing moreI ask of thee; this evil, will it lightOn me or on my house or on mankind?
PR. Scarce on mankind, O Inachus, for ZeusA second time failing will not againMeasure his spite against their better fate.And now the terror, which awhile o'er EarthIts black wings spread, shall up to Heaven ascendAnd gnaw the tyrant's heart: for there is whisperedA word gone forth to scare the mighty gods;How one must soon be born, and born of men,Who shall drive out their impious host from heaven,And from their skyey dwellings rule mankindIn truth and love. So scarce on man will fallThis evil, nay, nor on thyself, O king;Thy name shall live an honoured name in Greece.IN. Then on my house 'twill be. Know'st thou no more?
PR. Know I no more? Ay, if my purpose fail'Tis not for lack of knowing: if I suffer,'Tis not that poisonous fear hath slurred her task,Or let brave resolution walk unarmed.My ears are callous to the threats of Zeus,The direful penalties his oath hath laidOn every good that I in heart and handAm sworn to accomplish, and for all his threats,Lest their accomplishment should outrun mine,Am bound the more. Nay, nor his evil minions,Nor force, nor strength, shall bend me to his will.
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- scare v. t.
- To frighten; to strike with sudden fear; to alarm. [OE. skerren, skeren, Icel. skirra to bar, prevent, skirrask to shun , shrink from; or fr. OE. skerre, adj., scared, Icel. skjarr; both perhaps akin to E. sheer ]
- skyey a.
- Like the sky; ethereal; being in the sky.
- slurred a.
- Marked with a slur; performed in a smooth, gliding style, like notes marked with a slur.
- unarmed a.
- Not armed or armored; having no arms or weapons. [Pref. un- not + armed.]
- direful a.
- Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; woeful; as, a direful fiend; a direful day. [Dire + -ful.]
- outrun v. t.
- To exceed, or leave behind, in running; to run faster than; to outstrip; to go beyond.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Inachus 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, Inachus, in The Growth of Love, and Other Poems (1873–1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #37804, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bridges-shorter-poems/inachus-2.html, id L01723.
Form and metre
Inachus is 38 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. 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 86%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 43% 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- seems · noon · man · word · one · delightA · pleasure · triumph · eyes · young · more · lightA · mankind
- 2 -A-----AA----- zeus · againA · fate · earth · ascend · whispered · gods · menA · heavenA · mankind · fall · king · greece · more
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 |
|---|---|---|
| That but a small and easy thing now seems, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which from my house when I came forth at noon | 10 | ·········· |
| A dream was and beyond the reach of man. | 10 | ·········· |
| 'Tis now a fancy of the will, a word, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Liberty's lightest prize. Yet still as one | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| Who loiters on the threshold of delight, | 10 | ·/˘··/··˘/ |
| Delaying pleasure for the love of pleasure, | 11 | ˘/˘/˘····/˘ |
| I dally--Come, Argeia, and share my triumph! | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| And set our daughter by thee; though her eyes | 10 | ··//˘····· |
| Are young, there are no eyes this day so young | 10 | ·········· |
| As shall forget this day--while one thing more | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| I ask of thee; this evil, will it light | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| On me or on my house or on mankind? | 10 | ········// |
| PR. Scarce on mankind, O Inachus, for Zeus | 11 | ···//······ |
| A second time failing will not again | 10 | ·/˘·/˘··˘/ |
| Measure his spite against their better fate. | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| And now the terror, which awhile o'er Earth | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Its black wings spread, shall up to Heaven ascend | 10 | ·······/˘/ |
| And gnaw the tyrant's heart: for there is whispered | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| A word gone forth to scare the mighty gods; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| How one must soon be born, and born of men, | 10 | ·········· |
| Who shall drive out their impious host from heaven, | 11 | ·····˘/˘··/ |
| And from their skyey dwellings rule mankind | 10 | ···/˘/˘·// |
| In truth and love. So scarce on man will fall | 10 | ·········· |
| This evil, nay, nor on thyself, O king; | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| Thy name shall live an honoured name in Greece. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| IN. Then on my house 'twill be. Know'st thou no more? | 11 | ··········· |
| PR. Know I no more? Ay, if my purpose fail | 11 | ········/˘· |
| 'Tis not for lack of knowing: if I suffer, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| 'Tis not that poisonous fear hath slurred her task, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or let brave resolution walk unarmed. | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| My ears are callous to the threats of Zeus, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The direful penalties his oath hath laid | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| On every good that I in heart and hand | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Am sworn to accomplish, and for all his threats, | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Lest their accomplishment should outrun mine, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘·˘/· |
| Am bound the more. Nay, nor his evil minions, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Nor force, nor strength, shall bend me to his will. | 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.