Poem V
No sound from Selim's lip was heard,At least that met old Giaffir's ear,But every frown and every wordPierced keener than a Christian's sword."Son of a slave!--reproached with fear!Those gibes had cost another dear.Son of a slave!--and who my Sire?"Thus held his thoughts their dark career;And glances ev'n of more than ireffFlash forth, then faintly disappear.Old Giaffir gazed upon his sonAnd started; for within his eyeHe read how much his wrath had done;He saw rebellion there begun:"Come hither, boy--what, no reply?I mark thee--and I know thee too;But there be deeds thou dar'st not do:But if thy beard had manlier length,And if thy hand had skill and strength,I'd joy to see thee break a lance,Albeit against my own perchance."As sneeringly these accents fell,On Selim's eye he fiercely gazed:That eye returned him glance for glance,And proudly to his Sire's was raisedfg,Till Giaffir's quailed and shrunk askance--And why--he felt, but durst not tell."Much I misdoubt this wayward boyWill one day work me more annoy:I never loved him from his birth,And--but his arm is little worth,And scarcely in the chase could copeWith timid fawn or antelope,Far less would venture into strifeWhere man contends for fame and life--I would not trust that look or tone:No--nor the blood so near my own.fhThat blood--he hath not heard--no more--I'll watch him closer than before.He is an Arab to my sight,Or Christian crouching in the fight--fiBut hark!--I hear Zuleika's voice;Like Houris' hymn it meets mine ear:She is the offspring of my choice;Oh! more than ev'n her mother dear,With all to hope, and nought to fear--My Peri! ever welcome here!fjSweet, as the desert fountain's waveTo lips just cooled in time to save--Such to my longing sight art thou;Nor can they waft to Mecca's shrineMore thanks for life, than I for thine,Who blest thy birth and bless thee now."fk
Words in this poem
- keener n.
- A professional mourner who wails at a funeral. [Ireland]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- career n.
- A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- sneeringly adv.
- In a sneering manner.
- askance adv.
- Sideways; obliquely; with a side glance; with disdain, envy, or suspicion. [Cf. D. schuin, schuins, sideways, schuiven to shove, schuinte slope. Cf. Asquint.]
- misdoubt v. t.
- To be suspicious of; to have suspicion.
- wayward a.
- Taking one's own way; disobedient; froward; perverse; willful. [OE. weiward, for aweiward, i. e., turned away. See Away, and -ward.]
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- closer n.
- One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.
- peri n.
- An imaginary being, male or female, like an elf or fairy, represented as a descendant of fallen angels, excluded from paradise till penance is accomplished. Moore. [Per. peri a female genus, a fairy.]
- waft v. t.
- To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poem V 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, Poem V, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/poem-v.html, id L23870.
Form and metre
Poem V is 53 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).
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 ABA-BB-B-BCDCCDEEFFGG--G-G-HHIIJJKK--LL--MNMNN-OO-PP- heardA · earB · wordA · sword · fearB · dearB · sire · careerB · ireff · disappearB · sonC · eyeD · doneC · begunC · replyD · tooE · doE · lengthF · strengthF · lanceG · perchanceG · fell · gazed · glanceG · raisedfg · askanceG · tell · boyH · annoyH · birthI · worthI · copeJ · antelopeJ · strifeK · lifeK · tone · own.fh · moreL · beforeL · sight · fi · voiceM · earN · choiceM · dearN · fearN · here!fj · waveO · saveO · thou · shrineP · thineP · —
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No sound from Selim's lip was heard, | 8 | ········ |
| At least that met old Giaffir's ear, | 8 | ········ |
| But every frown and every word | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Pierced keener than a Christian's sword. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "Son of a slave!--reproached with fear! | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| Those gibes had cost another dear. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Son of a slave!--and who my Sire?" | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Thus held his thoughts their dark career; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And glances ev'n of more than ireff | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Flash forth, then faintly disappear. | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Old Giaffir gazed upon his son | 8 | ········ |
| And started; for within his eye | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| He read how much his wrath had done; | 8 | ········ |
| He saw rebellion there begun: | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| "Come hither, boy--what, no reply? | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| I mark thee--and I know thee too; | 8 | ········ |
| But there be deeds thou dar'st not do: | 8 | ········ |
| But if thy beard had manlier length, | 8 | ········ |
| And if thy hand had skill and strength, | 8 | ········ |
| I'd joy to see thee break a lance, | 8 | ········ |
| Albeit against my own perchance." | 9 | ˘/˘····˘/ |
| As sneeringly these accents fell, | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| On Selim's eye he fiercely gazed: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| That eye returned him glance for glance, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| And proudly to his Sire's was raisedfg, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Till Giaffir's quailed and shrunk askance-- | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And why--he felt, but durst not tell. | 8 | ········ |
| "Much I misdoubt this wayward boy | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| Will one day work me more annoy: | 8 | ······˘/ |
| I never loved him from his birth, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And--but his arm is little worth, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And scarcely in the chase could cope | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| With timid fawn or antelope, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Far less would venture into strife | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Where man contends for fame and life-- | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| I would not trust that look or tone: | 8 | ········ |
| No--nor the blood so near my own.fh | 9 | ········· |
| That blood--he hath not heard--no more-- | 8 | ········ |
| I'll watch him closer than before. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| He is an Arab to my sight, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Or Christian crouching in the fight--fi | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| But hark!--I hear Zuleika's voice; | 8 | ········ |
| Like Houris' hymn it meets mine ear: | 8 | ········ |
| She is the offspring of my choice; | 8 | ···/···· |
| Oh! more than ev'n her mother dear, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| With all to hope, and nought to fear-- | 8 | ········ |
| My Peri! ever welcome here!fj | 8 | ·/˘//˘·· |
| Sweet, as the desert fountain's wave | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| To lips just cooled in time to save-- | 8 | ········ |
| Such to my longing sight art thou; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Nor can they waft to Mecca's shrine | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| More thanks for life, than I for thine, | 8 | ········ |
| Who blest thy birth and bless thee now."fk | 9 | ········· |
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