Canto III: Canto III
Dancing girls. [Compare The Waltz, line 127, Poetical
"Zatanai," Satan. [Probably a phonetic rendering o [Greek:satana(s).] The Turkish form would be sheytan. Compare letter to
Night Thoughts, by Edward Young (Night III.) (Anderson's British
"When half the world lay wrapt in sleepless night,A jarring sound the startled hero wakes.He hears a step draw near--in beauty's prideA female comes--wide floats her glistening gown--Her hand sustains a lamp...."Wieland's Oberon, translated by W. Sotheby,
In Sir Thomas More, for instance, on the scaffold, and AnneBoleyn, in the Tower, when, grasping her neck, she remarked, that it"was too slender to trouble the headsman much." During one part of theFrench Revolution, it became a fashion to leave some "mot" as alegacy; and the quantity of facetious last words spoken during thatperiod would form a melancholy jest-book of a considerable size.
hvI breathe but in the hope--his altered breastMay seek another--and have mine at rest.Or if unwonted fondness now I feign.A--
hxWithin that cave Debate waxed warm and strange.--Loud in the cave Debate waxed warm and strange.--In that dark Council words waxed warm and strange.--
hyMethinks a short release by ransom wroughtOf all his treasures not too cheaply bought.--Methinks a short release for ransom--gold.--
"And I have leaptIn transport from my flinty couch, to welcomeThe thunder as it burst upon my roof,And beckon'd to the lightning, as it flash'dAnd sparkled on these fetters."Act iv. sc. 3 (Ivan, 1816, p. 64).
ibBut speak not now--on thine and on my headO'erhangs the sabre----.--
Blood he had viewed, could view unmoved--but thenIt reddened on the scarfs and swords of men.
"And I the cause--for whom were givenHer peace on earth, her hopes in heaven."
ii"Gulnare"--she answered not again--"Gulnare"She raised her glance--her sole reply was there.--
ijThat sought from form so fair no more than thisThat kiss--the first that Frailty wrung from FaithThat last--on lips so warm with rosy breath.--
ilOh! none so prophesy the joys of homeAs they who hail it from the Ocean-foam.--Oh--what can sanctify the joys of homeLike the first glance from Ocean's troubled foam.--
Words in this poem 15
- waltz n.
- A dance performed by two persons in circular figures with a whirling motion; also, a piece of music composed in triple measure for this kind of dance. [G. walzer, from walzen to roll, revolve, dance, OHG. walzan to roll; akin to AS. wealtan. See Welter.]
- sleepless a.
- Having no sleep; wakeful.
- jarring a.
- Shaking; disturbing; discordant. [See Jar.]
- oberon n.
- The king of the fairies, and husband of Titania or Queen Mab. [F., fr. OF. Auberon; prob. of Frankish origin.]
- headsman
- An executioner who cuts off heads.
- facetious a.
- Given to wit and good humor; merry; sportive; jocular; as, a facetious companion. [Cf. F. facétieux. See Facetiæ.]
- jest n.
- A deed; an action; a gest. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perfor]
- unwonted a.
- Not wonted; unaccustomed; unused; not made familiar by practice; as, a child unwonted to strangers.
- fondness n.
- The quality or state of being fond; foolishness.
- methinks v.
- It seems to me; I think. See Me. [AS. þyncan to seem, me þynceedh, me þuhte, OE. me thinketh, me thoughte; akin to G. dünken to seem, denken to think, and E. think. See Me, and Think.]
- cheaply adv.
- At a small price; at a low value; in a common or inferior manner.
- sabre n.
- A sword with a broad and heavy blade, thick at the back, and usually more or less curved like a scimiter; a cavalry sword. Saber fish, or Sabre fish (Zoöl.), the cutlass fish.
- unmoved a.
- Not moved; fixed; firm; unshaken; calm; apathetic.
- frailty n.
- The condition quality of being frail, physically, mentally, or morally, frailness; infirmity; weakness of resolution; liableness to be deceived or seduced. [OE. frelete, freilte, OF. fraileté, fr. L. fragilitas. See Frail, a., and cf. Fragility.]
- sanctify v. t.
- To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or religious use; to consecrate by appropriate rites; to hallow. [F. sanctifier, L. sanctificare; sanctus holy + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See Saint, and -fy.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Canto III: Canto III 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 III: Canto III, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/canto-iii-canto-iii.html, id L23931.
Form and metre
Canto III: Canto III is 53 lines in 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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.
- 5 --AA-- anne · it · theA · aA · that · size
- 6 -AA- — · breastA · restA · feign.a
- 7 -AAA — · strangeA · strangeA · strangeA
- 8 -AA- hy · wroughtA · boughtA · gold
- 11 AA thenA · menA
- 13 -AA ii · gulnareA · thereA
- 15 -AAAA il · homeA · foamA · homeA · foamA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dancing girls. [Compare The Waltz, line 127, Poetical | 11 | /˘·˘/······ |
| "Zatanai," Satan. [Probably a phonetic rendering o [Greek: | 15 | ···/˘/˘·˘/˘/˘·· |
| satana(s).] The Turkish form would be sheytan. Compare letter to | 17 | ·····/˘·····˘//˘· |
| Night Thoughts, by Edward Young (Night III.) (Anderson's British | 12 | ···/˘···/˘/˘ |
| "When half the world lay wrapt in sleepless night, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A jarring sound the startled hero wakes. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| He hears a step draw near--in beauty's pride | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A female comes--wide floats her glistening gown-- | 10 | ·/·····/˘· |
| Her hand sustains a lamp...." | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Wieland's Oberon, translated by W. Sotheby, | 13 | /˘/˘·˘/˘·/˘/˘ |
| In Sir Thomas More, for instance, on the scaffold, and Anne | 14 | ··/˘··/˘··/˘·· |
| Boleyn, in the Tower, when, grasping her neck, she remarked, that it | 15 | ˘/··/·/˘···˘/·· |
| "was too slender to trouble the headsman much." During one part of the | 17 | ··/˘·/˘·/˘·/˘···· |
| French Revolution, it became a fashion to leave some "mot" as a | 17 | ··˘/˘·˘/·/˘······ |
| legacy; and the quantity of facetious last words spoken during that | 17 | /˘··/˘·˘/˘··/˘/˘· |
| period would form a melancholy jest-book of a considerable size. | 17 | /˘···/˘·˘····˘/˘· |
| hv | 1 | · |
| I breathe but in the hope--his altered breast | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| May seek another--and have mine at rest. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Or if unwonted fondness now I feign.A-- | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘···· |
| hx | 1 | · |
| Within that cave Debate waxed warm and strange.-- | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Loud in the cave Debate waxed warm and strange.-- | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| In that dark Council words waxed warm and strange.-- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| hy | 1 | · |
| Methinks a short release by ransom wrought | 10 | ˘/··˘/·/˘· |
| Of all his treasures not too cheaply bought.-- | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Methinks a short release for ransom--gold.-- | 10 | ˘/··˘/·/˘· |
| "And I have leapt | 4 | ···· |
| In transport from my flinty couch, to welcome | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| The thunder as it burst upon my roof, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And beckon'd to the lightning, as it flash'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And sparkled on these fetters." | 8 | ·/˘˘··/˘ |
| Act iv. sc. 3 (Ivan, 1816, p. 64). | 6 | ···/˘· |
| ib | 1 | · |
| But speak not now--on thine and on my head | 10 | ·········· |
| O'erhangs the sabre----.-- | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Blood he had viewed, could view unmoved--but then | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| It reddened on the scarfs and swords of men. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| "And I the cause--for whom were given | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Her peace on earth, her hopes in heaven." | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| ii | 1 | · |
| "Gulnare"--she answered not again--"Gulnare" | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| She raised her glance--her sole reply was there.-- | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| ij | 1 | · |
| That sought from form so fair no more than this | 10 | ·········· |
| That kiss--the first that Frailty wrung from Faith | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| That last--on lips so warm with rosy breath.-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| il | 1 | · |
| Oh! none so prophesy the joys of home | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| As they who hail it from the Ocean-foam.-- | 9 | ·······/· |
| Oh--what can sanctify the joys of home | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Like the first glance from Ocean's troubled foam.-- | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
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