II.fa
Begirt with many a gallant slave,Apparelled as becomes the brave,Awaiting each his Lord's behestTo guide his steps, or guard his rest,Old Giaffir sate in his Divan:Deep thought was in his aged eye;And though the face of MussulmanNot oft betrays to standers byThe mind within, well skilled to hideAll but unconquerable pride,His pensive cheek and pondering browfbDid more than he was wont avow.
Words in this poem
- begirt v. t.
- To encompass; to begird.
- behest v. t.
- To vow. Paston.
- sate v. t.
- To satisfy the desire or appetite of; to satiate; to glut; to surfeit. [Probably shortened fr. satiate: cf. L. satus full. See Satiate.]
- divan n.
- A book; esp., a collection of poems written by one author; as, the divan of Hafiz. [Persia] [Per. diwan a book of many leaves, an account book, a collection of books, a senate, council: cf. Ar. daiwan, F. divan.]
- mussulman n.
- A Mohammedan; a Moslem. [Ar. muslimin, pl. of muslim: cf. F. & Sp. musulman. See Moslem.]
- unconquerable a.
- Not conquerable; indomitable.
- avow v. t.
- To bind, or to devote, by a vow. Wyclif. [OF. avouer, fr. LL. votare to vow, fr. L. votun. See Vote, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
II.fa 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, II.fa, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/ii-fa.html, id L23867.
Form and metre
II.fa is 12 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 50% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, 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 AABB-C-CDD-- slaveA · braveA · behestB · restB · divan · eyeC · mussulman · byC · hideD · prideD · browfb · avow
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Begirt with many a gallant slave, | 8 | ˘/·/·/˘· |
| Apparelled as becomes the brave, | 8 | ˘/˘·˘/·· |
| Awaiting each his Lord's behest | 8 | ˘/˘···˘/ |
| To guide his steps, or guard his rest, | 8 | ········ |
| Old Giaffir sate in his Divan: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Deep thought was in his aged eye; | 7 | ······· |
| And though the face of Mussulman | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Not oft betrays to standers by | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| The mind within, well skilled to hide | 8 | ········ |
| All but unconquerable pride, | 8 | ··˘/˘˘˘· |
| His pensive cheek and pondering browfb | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Did more than he was wont avow. | 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.