Canto II: Canto II XII
He slept in calmest seeming, for his breathWas hushed so deep--Ah! happy if in death!He slept--Who o'er his placid slumber bends?His foes are gone--and here he hath no friends;Is it some Seraph sent to grant him grace?No,'tis an earthly form with heavenly face!Its white arm raised a lamp--yet gently hid,Lest the ray flash abruptly on the lidOf that closed eye, which opens but to pain,And once unclosed--but once may close again.That form, with eye so dark, and cheek so fair,And auburn waves of gemmed and braided hair;With shape of fairy lightness--naked foot,That shines like snow, and falls on earth as mute--Through guards and dunnest night how came it there?Ah! rather ask what will not Woman dare?Whom Youth and Pity lead like thee, Gulnare!She could not sleep--and while the Pacha's restIn muttering dreams yet saw his pirate-guest,She left his side--his signet-ring she bore,Which oft in sport adorned her hand before--And with it, scarcely questioned, won her wayThrough drowsy guards that must that sign obey.Worn out with toil, and tired with changing blows,Their eyes had envied Conrad his repose;And chill and nodding at the turret door,They stretch their listless limbs, and watch no more;Just raised their heads to hail the signet-ring,Nor ask or what or who the sign may bring.
Words in this poem
- placid a.
- Pleased; contented; unruffied; undisturbed; serene; peaceful; tranquil; quiet; gentle. [L. placidus, originally, pleasing, mild, from placere to please: cf. F. placide. See Please.]
- unclosed a.
- Not separated by inclosures; open. Clarendon. [Pref. un- not + closed.]
- auburn a.
- Flaxen-colored. Florio. [OE. auburne blonde, OF. alborne, auborne, fr. LL. alburnus whitish, fr. L. albus white. Cf. Alburn.]
- listless a.
- Having no desire or inclination; indifferent; heedless; spiritless. [OE. listles, lustles. See Lust.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Canto II: Canto II XII is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 3, Project Gutenberg ebook #21811; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Lord Byron, Canto II: Canto II XII, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/canto-ii-canto-ii-xii.html, id L23911.
Form and metre
Canto II: Canto II XII is 29 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 AABBCCDDEEFF--FFFGGHHIIJJHHKK breathA · deathA · bendsB · friendsB · graceC · faceC · hidD · lidD · painE · againE · fairF · hairF · foot · mute · thereF · dareF · gulnareF · restG · guestG · boreH · beforeH · wayI · obeyI · blowsJ · reposeJ · doorH · moreH · ringK · bringK
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 |
|---|---|---|
| He slept in calmest seeming, for his breath | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Was hushed so deep--Ah! happy if in death! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| He slept--Who o'er his placid slumber bends? | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| His foes are gone--and here he hath no friends; | 10 | ·········· |
| Is it some Seraph sent to grant him grace? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| No,'tis an earthly form with heavenly face! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Its white arm raised a lamp--yet gently hid, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Lest the ray flash abruptly on the lid | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Of that closed eye, which opens but to pain, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And once unclosed--but once may close again. | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| That form, with eye so dark, and cheek so fair, | 10 | ·········· |
| And auburn waves of gemmed and braided hair; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| With shape of fairy lightness--naked foot, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| That shines like snow, and falls on earth as mute-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Through guards and dunnest night how came it there? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Ah! rather ask what will not Woman dare? | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Whom Youth and Pity lead like thee, Gulnare! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| She could not sleep--and while the Pacha's rest | 10 | ·········· |
| In muttering dreams yet saw his pirate-guest, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| She left his side--his signet-ring she bore, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which oft in sport adorned her hand before-- | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And with it, scarcely questioned, won her way | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Through drowsy guards that must that sign obey. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Worn out with toil, and tired with changing blows, | 10 | ·····/·/˘· |
| Their eyes had envied Conrad his repose; | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| And chill and nodding at the turret door, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| They stretch their listless limbs, and watch no more; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Just raised their heads to hail the signet-ring, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Nor ask or what or who the sign may bring. | 10 | ·········· |
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