Now the Lilac Tree's in Bud

Bliss Carman (1861–1929) · 1921

iambic tetrameter · ABAB · 24 lines · from Later Poems

Now the lilac tree's in bud,And the morning birds are loud.Now a stirring in the bloodMoves the heart of every crowd.

Word has gone abroad somewhereOf a great impending change.There's a message in the airOf an import glad and strange.

Not an idler in the street,But is better off to-day.Not a traveller you meet,But has something wise to say.

Now there's not a road too long,Not a day that is not good,Not a mile but hears a songLifted from the misty wood.

Down along the SilvermineThat's the blackbird's cheerful note!You can see him flash and shineWith the scarlet on his coat.

Now the winds are soft with rain,And the twilight has a spell,Who from gladness could refrainOr with olden sorrows dwell?

Words in this poem

somewhere adv.: In some place unknown or not specified; in one place or another.
olden a.: Old; ancient; as, the olden time.
dwell v. i.: To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Now the Lilac Tree's in Bud is in the public domain. This text is taken from Later Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #33417; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Bliss Carman, Now the Lilac Tree's in Bud, in Later Poems (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #33417, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carman-later-poems/now-the-lilac-tree-s-in-bud.html, id L11023.

Form and metre

Now the Lilac Tree's in Bud is 24 lines in 6 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 5 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 29% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

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 ABAB bud^A · loud^B · blood^A · crowd^B
2 ABAB somewhere^A · change^B · air^A · strange^B
3 ABAB street^A · day^B · meet^A · say^B
4 ABAB long^A · good^B · song^A · wood^B
5 -A-A silvermine · note^A · shine · coat^A
6 ABAB rain^A · spell^B · refrain^A · dwell^B

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
Now the lilac tree's in bud,	7	··/····
And the morning birds are loud.	7	··/˘···
Now a stirring in the blood	7	··/˘···
Moves the heart of every crowd.	8	····/˘˘·
Word has gone abroad somewhere	7	···˘//·
Of a great impending change.	7	···˘/˘·
There's a message in the air	7	··/˘···
Of an import glad and strange.	7	··˘/···
Not an idler in the street,	8	··/˘˘···
But is better off to-day.	7	··/˘···
Not a traveller you meet,	7	··/˘˘··
But has something wise to say.	7	··/˘···
Now there's not a road too long,	7	·······
Not a day that is not good,	7	·······
Not a mile but hears a song	7	·······
Lifted from the misty wood.	7	/˘··/˘·
Down along the Silvermine	7	·˘/····
That's the blackbird's cheerful note!	7	··/˘/˘·
You can see him flash and shine	7	·······
With the scarlet on his coat.	7	··/˘···
Now the winds are soft with rain,	7	·······
And the twilight has a spell,	7	··/····
Who from gladness could refrain	7	··/˘·˘/
Or with olden sorrows dwell?	7	··/˘/˘·

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.

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