On Conclusion of the Boer War, June 1902
Now joy in all hearts with happy auguries,And praise on all lips: for sunny June comethChasing the thick warcloud, that outspreadSulfurous and sullen over England.
Full thirty moons since unwilling enmity,Since daily suspense for hideous perilOf brethren unrescued, beleaguer'dPlague-stricken in cities unprovided,
Had quencht accustom'd gaiety, from the dayWhen first the Dutchman's implacable folly,The country of Shakspeare def[=y]ing,Thought with a curse to appal the nation:
Whose threat to quell their kinsmen in AfricaAnger'd awhile our easy democracy;That, reckless and patient of insult,Will not abide arrogant defīance:
They called to arms; and war began evilly.From slily forestor'd, well-hidden armouries,And early advantage, the despotStood for a time prevalent against us:
Till from the coil of slow-gathering battleHe rancorous, with full moneybags hurried,Peddling to European envyHis traffic of pennyworthy slander.
For since the first keel launch'd upon OceanNe'er had before so mighty an armamentO'errun the realm of dark Poseidon,So resolutely measur'd the waters,
As soon from our ports in diligent passageO'er half the round world plow'd hither & thitherThe pathless Atlantic, revengefulSoldiery pouring on Esperanza:
Nor shows the Argive story of Ilium,With tale of ancient auxiliar cities,So vast a roll of wide allianceAs, rallying to the aid of England,
Came from the swarming counties accoutering,And misty highlands of Caledonia,With Cambria's half-Celtic offspring,And the ever-merry fighting Irish:
Came too the new world's hardy Canadians,And from remote Australia championsLike huntsmen, and from those twin islandsLying off antipodal beyond her,
Under the old flag sailing across the sea:For mighty is blood's empery, where honourAnd freedom ancestral have upbuiltInheritance to a lovely glory.
Thee, France, love I, fair lawgiver and scholar:Thy lively grace, thy temper illustrious;And thee, in all wisdom Diviner,Germany, deep melodist immortal;
Nor less have envied soft Italy's spirit,In marble unveil'd and eloquent colour:But best love I England, wer' I notBorn to her aery should envy also.
Wherefore to-day one gift above every giftLet us beseech, that God will accord to herAlways a right judgement in all things;Ev'n to celestial excellencies;
And grant us in long peace to accumulateJoy, and to stablish friendliness and commerce,And barter in markets for unpricedBeauty, the pearl of unending empire.
Words in this poem 23
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- outspread v. t.
- To spread out; to expand; -- usually as a past part. or adj.
- sullen a.
- Lonely; solitary; desolate. Wyclif (Job iii. 14). [OE. solein, solain, lonely, sullen; through Old French fr. (assumed) LL. solanus solitary, fr. L. solus alone. See Sole, a.]
- stricken p. p.
- Struck; smitten; wounded; as, the stricken deer.
- quell v. t.
- To take the life of; to kill. [OE. quellen to kill, AS. cwellan, causative of cwelan to die; akin to OHG. quellen to torment, Icel. kvelja. See Quail to cower.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- evilly adv.
- In an evil manner; not well; ill.
- rancorous a.
- Full of rancor; evincing, or caused by, rancor; deeply malignant; implacably spiteful or malicious; intensely virulent. [OF. rancuros.]
- peddling a.
- Hawking; acting as a peddler.
- armament n.
- A body of forces equipped for war; -- used of a land or naval force. [L. armamenta, pl., utensils, esp. the tackle of a ship, fr. armare to arm: cf. LL. armamentum, F. armement.]
- resolutely adv.
- In a resolute manner; with fixed purpose; boldly; firmly; steadily; with perseverance.
- pathless a.
- Having no beaten path or way; untrodden; impenetrable; as, pathless woods.
- soldiery n.
- A body of soldiers; soldiers, collectivelly; the military.
- argive a.
- Of or performance to Argos, the capital of Argolis in Greece. [L. Argivus, fr. Argos, Argi.]
- caledonia n.
- The ancient Latin name of Scotland; -- still used in poetry.
- antipodal a.
- Pertaining to the antipodes; situated on the opposite side of the globe.
- empery n.
- Empire; sovereignty; dominion. [L. imperium, influenced by OF. emperie, empire. See Empire.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- melodist n.
- A composer or singer of melodies. [Cf. F. mélodiste.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- stablish v. t.
- To settle permanently in a state; to make firm; to establish; to fix. 2 Sam. vii. 13. [Aphetic form of establish.]
- friendliness n.
- The condition or quality of being friendly. Sir P. Sidney.
- unpriced a.
- Not priced; being without a fixed or certain value; also, priceless.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Conclusion of the Boer War, June 1902 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, On Conclusion of the Boer War, June 1902, in Poetical Works (1873–1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #37804, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bridges-shorter-poems/on-conclusion-of-the-boer-war-june-1902.html, id L01846.
Form and metre
On Conclusion of the Boer War, June 1902 is 64 lines in 16 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter. 75% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 44 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 38% 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.
- 10 A-A- accouteringA · caledonia · offspringA · irish
- 14 A-A- spiritA · colour · notA · also
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Now joy in all hearts with happy auguries, | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| And praise on all lips: for sunny June cometh | 11 | ······/˘·/˘ |
| Chasing the thick warcloud, that outspread | 9 | /˘·····˘/ |
| Sulfurous and sullen over England. | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| Full thirty moons since unwilling enmity, | 11 | ·/···˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Since daily suspense for hideous peril | 11 | ·/˘˘/·/˘˘/˘ |
| Of brethren unrescued, beleaguer'd | 9 | ·/˘··˘˘/˘ |
| Plague-stricken in cities unprovided, | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| Had quencht accustom'd gaiety, from the day | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘˘··· |
| When first the Dutchman's implacable folly, | 11 | ···/˘˘/˘˘/˘ |
| The country of Shakspeare def[=y]ing, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Thought with a curse to appal the nation: | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Whose threat to quell their kinsmen in Africa | 11 | ········/˘˘ |
| Anger'd awhile our easy democracy; | 11 | /˘˘///˘˘/˘˘ |
| That, reckless and patient of insult, | 9 | ·/˘·/˘·˘/ |
| Will not abide arrogant defīance: | 9 | ··˘//˘˘·· |
| They called to arms; and war began evilly. | 11 | ······˘//˘˘ |
| From slily forestor'd, well-hidden armouries, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| And early advantage, the despot | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘·/˘ |
| Stood for a time prevalent against us: | 10 | ····/˘˘··· |
| Till from the coil of slow-gathering battle | 11 | ······/˘˘/˘ |
| He rancorous, with full moneybags hurried, | 11 | ·/˘˘·····/˘ |
| Peddling to European envy | 10 | /˘˘··˘/˘/˘ |
| His traffic of pennyworthy slander. | 10 | ·/˘·····/˘ |
| For since the first keel launch'd upon Ocean | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Ne'er had before so mighty an armament | 11 | ·····/˘·/˘˘ |
| O'errun the realm of dark Poseidon, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| So resolutely measur'd the waters, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘·/˘ |
| As soon from our ports in diligent passage | 11 | ···/··/˘˘/˘ |
| O'er half the round world plow'd hither & thither | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| The pathless Atlantic, revengeful | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Soldiery pouring on Esperanza: | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| Nor shows the Argive story of Ilium, | 11 | ···/˘/˘·/˘˘ |
| With tale of ancient auxiliar cities, | 10 | ···/˘˘/˘/˘ |
| So vast a roll of wide alliance | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| As, rallying to the aid of England, | 10 | ·/˘˘····/˘ |
| Came from the swarming counties accoutering, | 11 | ···/˘/˘···· |
| And misty highlands of Caledonia, | 11 | ·/˘/˘··˘/˘˘ |
| With Cambria's half-Celtic offspring, | 9 | ·/˘˘·/˘/· |
| And the ever-merry fighting Irish: | 10 | ··/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Came too the new world's hardy Canadians, | 11 | ·····/˘˘/˘˘ |
| And from remote Australia champions | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Like huntsmen, and from those twin islands | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Lying off antipodal beyond her, | 10 | /˘·˘/˘˘··· |
| Under the old flag sailing across the sea: | 11 | ·····/˘˘/·· |
| For mighty is blood's empery, where honour | 11 | ·/˘··/˘˘·/˘ |
| And freedom ancestral have upbuilt | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘··· |
| Inheritance to a lovely glory. | 10 | ˘/˘˘··/˘/˘ |
| Thee, France, love I, fair lawgiver and scholar: | 10 | ·····/˘·/˘ |
| Thy lively grace, thy temper illustrious; | 11 | ·/˘··/˘˘/˘˘ |
| And thee, in all wisdom Diviner, | 9 | ····/˘˘/˘ |
| Germany, deep melodist immortal; | 10 | /˘˘·/˘˘˘/˘ |
| Nor less have envied soft Italy's spirit, | 11 | ···/˘·/˘˘/˘ |
| In marble unveil'd and eloquent colour: | 11 | ·/˘˘/·/˘˘/˘ |
| But best love I England, wer' I not | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Born to her aery should envy also. | 10 | ···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Wherefore to-day one gift above every gift | 11 | /˘······/˘· |
| Let us beseech, that God will accord to her | 11 | ··˘/···˘/·· |
| Always a right judgement in all things; | 9 | /···/˘··· |
| Ev'n to celestial excellencies; | 8 | ··˘/˘//˘ |
| And grant us in long peace to accumulate | 11 | ·······˘/˘· |
| Joy, and to stablish friendliness and commerce, | 11 | ···/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| And barter in markets for unpriced | 10 | ·/˘·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Beauty, the pearl of unending empire. | 11 | /˘···˘/˘/˘˘ |
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.