Eblis, the Oriental Prince of Darkness
dwBehold--as turns he from the--wallHis cowl fly back, his dark hair fall.--ms
Behold as turns him from the wall--His Cowl flies back--his tresses fall--That pallid aspect wreathing round.
dzMust burn before it smite or shine.--Appears unfit to smite or shine.--
"To surfeit on the sameAnd yawn our joys. Or thank a miseryFor change, though sad?"
"I'd rather be a toad,And live upon the vapours of a dungeon."
ecThrough ranks of steel and tracks of fire,And all she threatens in her ire;And these are but the words of oneWho thus would do--who thus hath done.--
eeHer power to soothe--her skill to save--And doubly darken o'er the grave,--
efOf Ladye-love--and dart--and chain--And fire that raged in every vein.--
egEven now alone, yet undismayed,--I know no friend, and ask no aid.--
ehYes \ / doth spring \} Love indeed { descend } from heaven:If / \ be born /
/ immortal \A spark of that { eternal } fire\ celestial /To human hearts in mercy given,To lift from earth our low desire,A feeling from the Godhead caught,/ each \To wean from self { } sordid thought:\ our /Devotion sends the soul above,But Heaven itself descends to love,Yet marvel not, if they who loveThis present joy, this future hopeWhich taught them with all ill to cope,No more with anguish bravely cope.--
ekAnd let the light, inconstant foolThat sneers his coxcomb ridicule.--
enTo me alike all time and place--Scarce could I gaze on Nature's faceFor every hue----.--or, All, all was changed on Nature's faceTo me alike all time and place.--
eo----but this griefIn truth is not for thy relief.My state thy thought can never guess.--
esI have no heart to love him nowAnd 'tis but to declare my end.--ms
etBut now Remembrance murmurs o'erOf all our early youth had been--In pain, I now had turned asideTo bless his memory ere I died,But Heaven would mark the vain essay,If Guilt should for the guiltless fray--I do not ask him not to blame--Too gentle he to wound my name--I do not ask him not to mourn,For such request might sound like scorn--And what like Friendship's manly tearSo well can grace a brother's bier?But bear this ring he gave of old,And tell him--what thou didst behold--The withered frame--the ruined mind,The wreck that Passion leaves behind--The shrivelled and discoloured leafSeared by the Autumn blast of Grief.--
The concluding note, like the poem, was built up sentence by sentence."original," were added in the Second Edition. The next sentence, "Forthe contents" to "Vathek," was inserted in the Third; and the concluding
exNor whether most he mourned none knew.For her he loved--or him he slew.--
Words in this poem
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- dungeon n.
- A close, dark prison, commondonjon or keep of a castle, these being used as prisons. [OE. donjoun highest tower of a castle, tower, prison, F. donjon tower or platform in the midst of a castle, turret, or closet on the top of a house, a keep of a]
- 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.]
- sordid a.
- Filthy; foul; dirty. [L. sordidus, fr. sordere to be filthy or dirty; probably akin to E. swart: cf. F. sordide. See Swart, a.]
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- guiltless a.
- Free from guilt; innocent.
- bier n.
- A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- discoloured a.
- Altered in color;
- seared a.
- Scorched; cauterized; hence, figuratively, insensible; not susceptible to moral influences.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Eblis, the Oriental Prince of Darkness 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, Eblis, the Oriental Prince of Darkness, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/eblis-the-oriental-prince-of-darkness.html, id L23864.
Form and metre
Eblis, the Oriental Prince of Darkness is 88 lines in 18 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 A-A — · wall · —
- 2 AA- wallA · fallA · round
- 3 -AA — · shineA · shineA
- 6 -AABB ec · fireA · ireA · oneB · doneB
- 7 -AA ee · saveA · graveA
- 8 -AA ef · chainA · veinA
- 9 -AA eg · undismayedA · aidA
- 10 -A-A eh · — · heaven · —
- 11 ABA-BCACADDDEEE — · fireB · — · given · desireB · caughtC · — · thoughtC · — · aboveD · loveD · loveD · hopeE · copeE · copeE
- 12 -AA ek · foolA · ridiculeA
- 13 -AA-AA en · placeA · faceA · hue · faceA · placeA
- 14 -AA- eo · griefA · reliefA · guess
- 16 ---AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH et · o'er · been · asideA · diedA · essayB · frayB · blameC · nameC · mournD · scornD · tearE · bierE · oldF · beholdF · mindG · behindG · leafH · griefH
- 18 -AA ex · knewA · slewA
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| dw | 1 | · |
| Behold--as turns he from the--wall | 8 | ˘/······ |
| His cowl fly back, his dark hair fall.--ms | 9 | ········· |
| Behold as turns him from the wall-- | 8 | ˘/······ |
| His Cowl flies back--his tresses fall-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| That pallid aspect wreathing round. | 8 | ·/˘/·/˘· |
| dz | 1 | · |
| Must burn before it smite or shine.-- | 8 | ········ |
| Appears unfit to smite or shine.-- | 8 | ˘/˘/···· |
| "To surfeit on the same | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And yawn our joys. Or thank a misery | 9 | ··/····/˘ |
| For change, though sad?" | 4 | ···· |
| "I'd rather be a toad, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And live upon the vapours of a dungeon." | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| ec | 1 | · |
| Through ranks of steel and tracks of fire, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And all she threatens in her ire; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And these are but the words of one | 8 | ········ |
| Who thus would do--who thus hath done.-- | 8 | ········ |
| ee | 1 | · |
| Her power to soothe--her skill to save-- | 8 | ·/······ |
| And doubly darken o'er the grave,-- | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| ef | 1 | · |
| Of Ladye-love--and dart--and chain-- | 8 | ········ |
| And fire that raged in every vein.-- | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| eg | 1 | · |
| Even now alone, yet undismayed,-- | 8 | /˘·˘/··· |
| I know no friend, and ask no aid.-- | 8 | ········ |
| eh | 1 | · |
| Yes \ / doth spring \ | 3 | ··· |
| } Love indeed { descend } from heaven: | 8 | ·˘/˘/·/˘ |
| If / \ be born / | 3 | ··· |
| / immortal \ | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| A spark of that { eternal } fire | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| \ celestial / | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| To human hearts in mercy given, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| To lift from earth our low desire, | 9 | ····/·˘/˘ |
| A feeling from the Godhead caught, | 8 | ·/˘··/·· |
| / each \ | 1 | · |
| To wean from self { } sordid thought: | 7 | ····/˘· |
| \ our / | 2 | /˘ |
| Devotion sends the soul above, | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| But Heaven itself descends to love, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/·· |
| Yet marvel not, if they who love | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| This present joy, this future hope | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Which taught them with all ill to cope, | 8 | ········ |
| No more with anguish bravely cope.-- | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| ek | 1 | · |
| And let the light, inconstant fool | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| That sneers his coxcomb ridicule.-- | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| en | 1 | · |
| To me alike all time and place-- | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Scarce could I gaze on Nature's face | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For every hue----.-- | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| or, All, all was changed on Nature's face | 9 | ······/˘· |
| To me alike all time and place.-- | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| eo | 1 | · |
| ----but this grief | 3 | ··· |
| In truth is not for thy relief. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| My state thy thought can never guess.-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| es | 1 | · |
| I have no heart to love him now | 8 | ········ |
| And 'tis but to declare my end.--ms | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| et | 1 | · |
| But now Remembrance murmurs o'er | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Of all our early youth had been-- | 8 | ··//˘··· |
| In pain, I now had turned aside | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To bless his memory ere I died, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| But Heaven would mark the vain essay, | 8 | ·/····˘/ |
| If Guilt should for the guiltless fray-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I do not ask him not to blame-- | 8 | ········ |
| Too gentle he to wound my name-- | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I do not ask him not to mourn, | 8 | ········ |
| For such request might sound like scorn-- | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| And what like Friendship's manly tear | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| So well can grace a brother's bier? | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But bear this ring he gave of old, | 8 | ········ |
| And tell him--what thou didst behold-- | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The withered frame--the ruined mind, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The wreck that Passion leaves behind-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The shrivelled and discoloured leaf | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Seared by the Autumn blast of Grief.-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The concluding note, like the poem, was built up sentence by sentence. | 16 | ·˘/˘···/···/˘·/˘ |
| "original," were added in the Second Edition. The next sentence, "For | 18 | ˘/˘·/˘··/˘˘/˘··/˘· |
| the contents" to "Vathek," was inserted in the Third; and the concluding | 18 | ·˘/····˘/˘·····˘/˘ |
| ex | 1 | · |
| Nor whether most he mourned none knew. | 8 | ········ |
| For her he loved--or him he slew.-- | 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.