Poem XIV
"Zuleika--to thy tower's retreatBetake thee--Giaffir I can greet:And now with him I fain must prateOf firmans, imposts, levies, state.There's fearful news from Danube's banks,Our Vizier nobly thins his ranksFor which the Giaour may give him thanks!Our Sultan hath a shorter waySuch costly triumph to repay.But, mark me, when the twilight drumHath warned the troops to food and sleep,Unto thy cell with Selim come;Then softly from the Haram creepWhere we may wander by the deep:Our garden battlements are steep;Nor these will rash intruder climbTo list our words, or stint our time;And if he doth, I want not steelWhich some have felt, and more may feel.Then shalt thou learn of Selim moreThan thou hast heard or thought before:Trust me, Zuleika--fear not me!Thou know'st I hold a Haram key."
"Fear thee, my Selim! ne'er till nowDid words like this----"
"Delay not thou;gdI keep the key--and Haroun's guardHave some, and hope of more reward.To-night, Zuleika, thou shalt hearMy tale, my purpose, and my fear:I am not, love! what I appear."
Words in this poem
- betake v. t.
- To take or seize. [Pref. be- + take.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- giaour n.
- An infidel; -- a term applied by Turks to disbelievers in the Mohammedan religion, especially Christrians. [Turk. giaur an infidel, Per. gawr, another form of ghebr fire worshiper. Cf. Kaffir, Gheber .]
- intruder n.
- One who intrudes; one who thrusts himself in, or enters without right, or without leave or welcome; a trespasser.
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Poem XIV 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 XIV, in The Giaour, and Other Poems (1816), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21811, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/byron-works-3/poem-xiv.html, id L23879.
Form and metre
Poem XIV is 31 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 52% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
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 AABBCCCDDEFEFFFGGHHIIJJ retreatA · greetA · prateB · stateB · banksC · ranksC · thanksC · wayD · repayD · drumE · sleepF · comeE · creepF · deepF · steepF · climbG · timeG · steelH · feelH · moreI · beforeI · meJ · keyJ
- 3 ---AAA thou;gd · guard · reward · hearA · fearA · appearA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| "Zuleika--to thy tower's retreat | 8 | ·····/˘/ |
| Betake thee--Giaffir I can greet: | 8 | ˘/······ |
| And now with him I fain must prate | 8 | ········ |
| Of firmans, imposts, levies, state. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| There's fearful news from Danube's banks, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Our Vizier nobly thins his ranks | 8 | //˘/˘··· |
| For which the Giaour may give him thanks! | 8 | ········ |
| Our Sultan hath a shorter way | 8 | //˘··/˘· |
| Such costly triumph to repay. | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| But, mark me, when the twilight drum | 8 | ·····/·· |
| Hath warned the troops to food and sleep, | 8 | ········ |
| Unto thy cell with Selim come; | 8 | ········ |
| Then softly from the Haram creep | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Where we may wander by the deep: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Our garden battlements are steep; | 8 | //˘/˘˘·· |
| Nor these will rash intruder climb | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| To list our words, or stint our time; | 8 | ··/···/· |
| And if he doth, I want not steel | 8 | ········ |
| Which some have felt, and more may feel. | 8 | ········ |
| Then shalt thou learn of Selim more | 8 | ········ |
| Than thou hast heard or thought before: | 8 | ········ |
| Trust me, Zuleika--fear not me! | 8 | ········ |
| Thou know'st I hold a Haram key." | 8 | ········ |
| "Fear thee, my Selim! ne'er till now | 8 | ········ |
| Did words like this----" | 4 | ···· |
| "Delay not thou;gd | 5 | ˘/··· |
| I keep the key--and Haroun's guard | 8 | ········ |
| Have some, and hope of more reward. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To-night, Zuleika, thou shalt hear | 8 | ········ |
| My tale, my purpose, and my fear: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I am not, love! what I appear." | 8 | ······˘/ |
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