Poem III
Loud without the wind was roaringThrough th'autumnal sky;Drenching wet, the cold rain pouring,Spoke of winter nigh.All too like that dreary eve,Did my exiled spirit grieve.Grieved at first, but grieved not long,Sweet--how softly sweet!--it came;Wild words of an ancient song,Undefined, without a name.
"It was spring, and the skylark was singing:"Those words they awakened a spell;They unlocked a deep fountain, whose springing,Nor absence, nor distance can quell.
In the gloom of a cloudy NovemberThey uttered the music of May;They kindled the perishing emberInto fervour that could not decay.
Awaken, o'er all my dear moorland,West-wind, in thy glory and pride!Oh! call me from valley and lowland,To walk by the hill-torrent's side!
It is swelled with the first snowy weather;The rocks they are icy and hoar,And sullenly waves the long heather,And the fern leaves are sunny no more.
There are no yellow stars on the mountainThe bluebells have long died awayFrom the brink of the moss-bedded fountain--From the side of the wintry brae.
But lovelier than corn-fields all wavingIn emerald, and vermeil, and gold,Are the heights where the north-wind is raving,And the crags where I wandered of old.
It was morning: the bright sun was beaming;How sweetly it brought back to meThe time when nor labour nor dreamingBroke the sleep of the happy and free!
But blithely we rose as the dawn-heavenWas melting to amber and blue,And swift were the wings to our feet given,As we traversed the meadows of dew.
For the moors! For the moors, where the short grassLike velvet beneath us should lie!For the moors! For the moors, where each high passRose sunny against the clear sky!
For the moors, where the linnet was trillingIts song on the old granite stone;Where the lark, the wild sky-lark, was fillingEvery breast with delight like its own!
What language can utter the feelingWhich rose, when in exile afar,On the brow of a lonely hill kneeling,I saw the brown heath growing there?
It was scattered and stunted, and told meThat soon even that would be gone:It whispered, "The grim walls enfold me,I have bloomed in my last summer's sun."
But not the loved music, whose wakingMakes the soul of the Swiss die away,Has a spell more adored and heartbreakingThan, for me, in that blighted heath lay.
The spirit which bent 'neath its power,How it longed--how it burned to be free!If I could have wept in that hour,Those tears had been heaven to me.
Well--well; the sad minutes are moving,Though loaded with trouble and pain;And some time the loved and the lovingShall meet on the mountains again!
Shall earth no more inspire thee,Thou lonely dreamer now?Since passion may not fire thee,Shall nature cease to bow?
Thy mind is ever moving,In regions dark to thee;Recall its useless roving,Come back, and dwell with me.
I know my mountain breezesEnchant and soothe thee still,I know my sunshine pleases,Despite thy wayward will.
When day with evening blending,Sinks from the summer sky,I've seen thy spirit bendingIn fond idolatry.
I've watched thee every hour;I know my mighty sway:I know my magic powerTo drive thy griefs away.
Few hearts to mortals given,On earth so wildly pine;Yet few would ask a heavenMore like this earth than thine.
Then let my winds caress theeThy comrade let me be:Since nought beside can bless thee,Return--and dwell with me.
Here again is the same mind in converse with a like abstraction. "TheNight-Wind," breathing through an open window, has visited an ear whichdiscerned language in its whispers.
Words in this poem 30
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- dreary a.
- Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
- skylark n.
- A lark that mounts and sings as it files, especially the common species (Alauda arvensis) found in Europe and in some parts of Asia, and celebrated for its melodious song; -- called also sky laverock.
- 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.]
- ember n.
- A lighted coal, smoldering amid ashes; -- used chiefly in the plural, to signify mingled coals and ashes; the smoldering remains of a fire. [OE. emmeres, emeres, AS. ; akin to Icel. eimyrja, Dan. emmer, MHG. eimere; cf. Icel. eimr vapor, smoke.]
- fervour n.
- Heat; excessive warmth. [OF. fervor, fervour, F. ferveur, L. fervor, fr. fervere. See Fervent.]
- moorland n.
- Land consisting of a moor or moors. [AS. morland.]
- lowland n.
- Land which is low with respect to the neighboring country; a low or level country; -- opposed to highland. The Lowlands, Belgium and Holland; the Netherlands; also, the southern part of Scotland.
- snowy a.
- White like snow.
- hoar v. t.
- To become moldy or musty. [AS. harian to grow gray.]
- sunny a.
- Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
- brink n.
- The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.]
- wintry a.
- Suitable to winter; resembling winter, or what belongs to winter; brumal; hyemal; cold; stormy; wintery. [AS. wintrig.]
- brae n.
- A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill. Burns. [See Bray a hill.]
- vermeil n.
- Vermilion; also, the color of vermilion, a bright, beautiful red. [F., vermilion, fr. LL. vermiculus, fr. L. vermiculus a little worm, the coccus Indicus, from vermis a worm. See Worm, and cf. Vermicule.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- blithely adv.
- In a blithe manner.
- trilling n.
- One of tree children born at the same birth. Wright. [Cf. G. drilling.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- enfold v. t.
- To infold. See Infold.
- heartbreaking a.
- Causing overpowering sorrow.
- 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,]
- dreamer n.
- One who dreams.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- enchant v. t.
- To charm by sorcery; to act on by enchantment; to get control of by magical words and rites. [F. enchanter, L. incantare to chant or utter a magic formula over or against one, to bewitch; in in, against + cantare to sing. See Chant, and cf. Incantation.]
- soothe v. t.
- To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
- sunshine n.
- The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
- wayward a.
- Taking one's own way; disobedient; froward; perverse; willful. [OE. weiward, for aweiward, i. e., turned away. See Away, and -ward.]
- blending n.
- The act of mingling.
- caress n.
- An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poem III is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, Project Gutenberg ebook #1019; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, Poem III, in Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1019, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bronte-poems/poem-iii.html, id L13273.
Form and metre
Poem III is 101 lines in 24 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 14 of its 24 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 76%). 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.2 syllables. 36 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
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 ABABCCDEDE roaringA · skyB · pouringA · nighB · eveC · grieveC · longD · cameE · songD · nameE
- 2 ABAB singingA · spellB · springingA · quellB
- 3 ABAB novemberA · mayB · emberA · decayB
- 4 ABAB moorlandA · prideB · lowlandA · sideB
- 5 ABAB weatherA · hoarB · heatherA · moreB
- 6 ABAB mountainA · awayB · fountainA · braeB
- 7 ABAB wavingA · goldB · ravingA · oldB
- 8 ABAB beamingA · meB · dreamingA · freeB
- 9 -A-A heaven · blueA · given · dewA
- 10 ABAB grassA · lieB · passA · skyB
- 11 ABAB trillingA · stoneB · fillingA · ownB
- 12 A-A- feelingA · afar · kneelingA · there
- 13 A-A- meA · gone · meA · sun
- 14 ABAB wakingA · awayB · heartbreakingA · layB
- 15 ABAB powerA · freeB · hourA · meB
- 16 -A-A moving · painA · loving · againA
- 17 ABAB theeA · nowB · theeA · bowB
- 18 -A-A moving · theeA · roving · meA
- 19 ABAB breezesA · stillB · pleasesA · willB
- 20 A-A- blendingA · sky · bendingA · idolatry
- 21 ABAB hourA · swayB · powerA · awayB
- 22 AAAA givenA · pineA · heavenA · thineA
- 23 AAAA theeA · beA · theeA · meA
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Loud without the wind was roaring | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Through th'autumnal sky; | 5 | ····· |
| Drenching wet, the cold rain pouring, | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| Spoke of winter nigh. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| All too like that dreary eve, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Did my exiled spirit grieve. | 8 | ··/·˘/˘· |
| Grieved at first, but grieved not long, | 8 | ·˘······ |
| Sweet--how softly sweet!--it came; | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Wild words of an ancient song, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Undefined, without a name. | 8 | ·˘/˘···· |
| "It was spring, and the skylark was singing:" | 10 | ·····/··/˘ |
| Those words they awakened a spell; | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| They unlocked a deep fountain, whose springing, | 10 | ·˘/··/˘·/˘ |
| Nor absence, nor distance can quell. | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| In the gloom of a cloudy November | 10 | ·····/˘˘/˘ |
| They uttered the music of May; | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| They kindled the perishing ember | 9 | ·/˘·/˘˘/˘ |
| Into fervour that could not decay. | 9 | ··/˘···˘/ |
| Awaken, o'er all my dear moorland, | 9 | ˘/˘····/· |
| West-wind, in thy glory and pride! | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Oh! call me from valley and lowland, | 9 | ····/˘·/· |
| To walk by the hill-torrent's side! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It is swelled with the first snowy weather; | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| The rocks they are icy and hoar, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| And sullenly waves the long heather, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And the fern leaves are sunny no more. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| There are no yellow stars on the mountain | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| The bluebells have long died away | 8 | ·/····˘/ |
| From the brink of the moss-bedded fountain-- | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| From the side of the wintry brae. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But lovelier than corn-fields all waving | 10 | ········/˘ |
| In emerald, and vermeil, and gold, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| Are the heights where the north-wind is raving, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| And the crags where I wandered of old. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| It was morning: the bright sun was beaming; | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| How sweetly it brought back to me | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The time when nor labour nor dreaming | 9 | ····/··/˘ |
| Broke the sleep of the happy and free! | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| But blithely we rose as the dawn-heaven | 9 | ·/˘·····/ |
| Was melting to amber and blue, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| And swift were the wings to our feet given, | 9 | ······/·/ |
| As we traversed the meadows of dew. | 9 | ··˘/·/··· |
| For the moors! For the moors, where the short grass | 10 | ·········· |
| Like velvet beneath us should lie! | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For the moors! For the moors, where each high pass | 10 | ·········· |
| Rose sunny against the clear sky! | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For the moors, where the linnet was trilling | 10 | ·····/˘·/˘ |
| Its song on the old granite stone; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Where the lark, the wild sky-lark, was filling | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Every breast with delight like its own! | 9 | /˘··˘/··· |
| What language can utter the feeling | 9 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| Which rose, when in exile afar, | 8 | ····/·˘/ |
| On the brow of a lonely hill kneeling, | 10 | ·····/˘·/˘ |
| I saw the brown heath growing there? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It was scattered and stunted, and told me | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| That soon even that would be gone: | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| It whispered, "The grim walls enfold me, | 9 | ·/˘···˘/· |
| I have bloomed in my last summer's sun." | 9 | ······/˘· |
| But not the loved music, whose waking | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| Makes the soul of the Swiss die away, | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| Has a spell more adored and heartbreaking | 10 | ····˘/·/·˘ |
| Than, for me, in that blighted heath lay. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| The spirit which bent 'neath its power, | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| How it longed--how it burned to be free! | 9 | ········· |
| If I could have wept in that hour, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Those tears had been heaven to me. | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Well--well; the sad minutes are moving, | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| Though loaded with trouble and pain; | 8 | ·/˘·/˘·· |
| And some time the loved and the loving | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Shall meet on the mountains again! | 8 | ····/˘˘/ |
| Shall earth no more inspire thee, | 7 | ····˘/· |
| Thou lonely dreamer now? | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Since passion may not fire thee, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Shall nature cease to bow? | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Thy mind is ever moving, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| In regions dark to thee; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Recall its useless roving, | 7 | ˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Come back, and dwell with me. | 6 | ······ |
| I know my mountain breezes | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Enchant and soothe thee still, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| I know my sunshine pleases, | 7 | ···/·/˘ |
| Despite thy wayward will. | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| When day with evening blending, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Sinks from the summer sky, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I've seen thy spirit bending | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| In fond idolatry. | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| I've watched thee every hour; | 8 | ···/˘˘/˘ |
| I know my mighty sway: | 6 | ···/˘· |
| I know my magic power | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| To drive thy griefs away. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Few hearts to mortals given, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| On earth so wildly pine; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Yet few would ask a heaven | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| More like this earth than thine. | 6 | ······ |
| Then let my winds caress thee | 7 | ····˘/· |
| Thy comrade let me be: | 6 | ·/···· |
| Since nought beside can bless thee, | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| Return--and dwell with me. | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Here again is the same mind in converse with a like abstraction. "The | 17 | ·˘/·····/˘···˘/˘· |
| Night-Wind," breathing through an open window, has visited an ear which | 16 | ··/˘··/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| discerned language in its whispers. | 8 | ˘//˘··/˘ |
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.