Canto II: Stanza XX
Abydos, seventy lines were added to stanza xx. of Canto II. In bothof peace and promise to mine ark!"
three variants on separate sheets. Two of these are dated December 2 andDecember 3, 1813.
"The deepest murmur of this lip shall be,No sigh for safety, but a prayer for thee!"
For thee in those bright isles is built a bowerAden, in its earliest hourBlooming as {-Eden--guarded like a tower-}A thousand swords--thy Selim's soul and handWait on thy voice, and bow to thy commandpairNo Danger daunts--the {-souls-} that Love hath bleststeps still rovingWith {-feet long-wandering-}--but with hearts at rest.{-For thee my blade shall shine--my hand shall toil-}With thee all toils were sweet--each clime hath charms {line 934}Earth--sea--alike--one World within our arms {line 935}Girt by my hand--Zuleika at my side--The Spoil of nations shall bedeck my brideslumbringThe Haram's sluggish life of listless easeIs well exchanged for cares and joys like these{-Mine be the lot to know where'er I rove-}{-A thousand perils wait where-er I rove,-}Not blind to fate I view where-er I roveA thousand perils--but one only love--Yet well my labor shall fond breast repayWhen Fortune frowns or falser friends betrayHow dear the thought in darkest hours of illShould all be changed to find thee faithful stillBe but thy soul like Selim's firmly shown{-mine in firmness-}{-Firm as my own I deem thy tender heart-}To thee be Selim's tender as thine ownExchange, or mingle every thought with hisAnd all our future days unite in this.
Man I may lead--but trust not--I may fallBy those now friends to me--yet foes to all--In this they follow but the bent assignedfatal NatureBy {-savage Nature-} to our warning kindBut there--oh, far be every thought of fearLife is but peril at the best--and hereNo more remains to win and much to fearYes fear--the doubt the dread of losing thee--That dread must vanish.
Words in this poem
- canto n.
- One of the chief divisions of a long poem; a book. [It. canto, fr. L. cantus singing, song. See Chant.]
- 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,]
- clime n.
- A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
- girt v. t.
- To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree. [From Girt, n., cf. Girth, v.]
- bedeck v. t.
- To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace.
- listless a.
- Having no desire or inclination; indifferent; heedless; spiritless. [OE. listles, lustles. See Lust.]
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Canto II: Stanza XX 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: Stanza XX, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/canto-ii-stanza-xx.html, id L23899.
Form and metre
Canto II: Stanza XX is 47 lines in 5 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
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.
- 3 AA beA · theeA
- 4 AA-BB-C-C---DD-EE----FFGGH--H-- bowerA · hourA · — · handB · commandB · pair · blestC · roving · restC · — · — · — · sideD · brideD · slumbring · easeE · theseE · — · — · rove · love · repayF · betrayF · illG · stillG · shownH · — · — · ownH · his · this
- 5 AAB-BCCC-- fallA · allA · assignedB · nature · kindB · fearC · hereC · fearC · thee · vanish
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abydos, seventy lines were added to stanza xx. of Canto II. In both | 19 | ···/˘··/˘·/˘··/˘··· |
| of peace and promise to mine ark!" | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| three variants on separate sheets. Two of these are dated December 2 and | 18 | ·/˘·/˘˘·····/˘˘/˘· |
| December 3, 1813. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| "The deepest murmur of this lip shall be, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| No sigh for safety, but a prayer for thee!" | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For thee in those bright isles is built a bower | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Aden, in its earliest hour | 9 | /˘··/˘˘/˘ |
| Blooming as {-Eden--guarded like a tower-} | 11 | /˘·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| A thousand swords--thy Selim's soul and hand | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Wait on thy voice, and bow to thy command | 10 | ········˘/ |
| pair | 1 | · |
| No Danger daunts--the {-souls-} that Love hath blest | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| steps still roving | 4 | ··/˘ |
| With {-feet long-wandering-}--but with hearts at rest. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| {-For thee my blade shall shine--my hand shall toil-} | 10 | ·········· |
| With thee all toils were sweet--each clime hath charms {line 934} | 11 | ··········· |
| Earth--sea--alike--one World within our arms {line 935} | 11 | ··˘/····/·· |
| Girt by my hand--Zuleika at my side-- | 10 | ·········· |
| The Spoil of nations shall bedeck my bride | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| slumbring | 3 | /˘˘ |
| The Haram's sluggish life of listless ease | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Is well exchanged for cares and joys like these | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| {-Mine be the lot to know where'er I rove-} | 11 | ······˘˘/·· |
| {-A thousand perils wait where-er I rove,-} | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Not blind to fate I view where-er I rove | 10 | ·········· |
| A thousand perils--but one only love-- | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Yet well my labor shall fond breast repay | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| When Fortune frowns or falser friends betray | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| How dear the thought in darkest hours of ill | 10 | ·····/˘/·· |
| Should all be changed to find thee faithful still | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Be but thy soul like Selim's firmly shown | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| {-mine in firmness-} | 4 | ··/˘ |
| {-Firm as my own I deem thy tender heart-} | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| To thee be Selim's tender as thine own | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Exchange, or mingle every thought with his | 10 | ˘/·/˘/˘··· |
| And all our future days unite in this. | 10 | ··//˘·/··· |
| Man I may lead--but trust not--I may fall | 10 | ·········· |
| By those now friends to me--yet foes to all-- | 10 | ·········· |
| In this they follow but the bent assigned | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| fatal Nature | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| By {-savage Nature-} to our warning kind | 10 | ·/˘/˘·//˘· |
| But there--oh, far be every thought of fear | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Life is but peril at the best--and here | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| No more remains to win and much to fear | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Yes fear--the doubt the dread of losing thee-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| That dread must vanish. | 5 | ···/˘ |
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