Enchantment
The deep seclusion of this forest path,--O'er which the green boughs weave a canopy;Along which bluet and anemoneSpread dim a carpet; where the Twilight hathHer cool abode; and, sweet as aftermath,Wood-fragrance roams,--has so enchanted me,That yonder blossoming bramble seems to beA Sylvan resting, rosy from her bath:Has so enspelled me with tradition's dreams,That every foam-white stream that, twinkling, flows,And every bird that flutters wings of tan,Or warbles hidden, to my fancy seemsA Naiad dancing to a Faun who blowsWild woodland music on the pipes of Pan.
Words in this poem
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- enchanted a.
- Under the power of enchantment; possessed or exercised by enchanters; as, an enchanted castle.
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- bramble n.
- Any plant of the genus Rubus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. [OE. brembil, AS.brbramal), fr. the same root as E. broom, As. br. See Broom.]
- twinkling n.
- The act of one who, or of that which, twinkles; a quick movement of the eye; a wink; a twinkle. Holland.
- naiad n.
- A water nymph; one of the lower female divinities, fabled to preside over some body of fresh water, as a lake, river, brook, or fountain. [L. naias, -adis, naïs, -idis, a water nymph, Gr naïade. Cf. Naid.]
- faun n.
- A god of fields and shipherds, diddering little from the satyr. [L. Faunus, fr. favere to be favorable. See Favor.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Enchantment is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #7796; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Madison Julius Cawein, Enchantment, in Poems (1911), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7796, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/cawein-poems/enchantment.html, id L10967.
Form and metre
Enchantment is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.8 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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--AABBACDECDE pathA · canopy · anemone · hathA · aftermathA · meB · beB · bathA · dreamsC · flowsD · tanE · seemsC · blowsD · panE
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The deep seclusion of this forest path,-- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| O'er which the green boughs weave a canopy; | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Along which bluet and anemone | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Spread dim a carpet; where the Twilight hath | 10 | ···/˘··/·· |
| Her cool abode; and, sweet as aftermath, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Wood-fragrance roams,--has so enchanted me, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| That yonder blossoming bramble seems to be | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| A Sylvan resting, rosy from her bath: | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| Has so enspelled me with tradition's dreams, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| That every foam-white stream that, twinkling, flows, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And every bird that flutters wings of tan, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Or warbles hidden, to my fancy seems | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| A Naiad dancing to a Faun who blows | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Wild woodland music on the pipes of Pan. | 10 | ·/·/˘····· |
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.