Berghamme
I take the challenge; squyre, mie launce and stede.I, Bourtonne, take the gauntlette; forr mee staie.Botte, gyff thou fyghteste mee, thou shalt have mede;Somme odherr I wylle champyonn toe affraie;Perchaunce fromme hemm I maie possess the daie,Thenn I schalle bee a foemanne forr thie spere.Herehawde, toe the bankes of Knyghtys saie,De Berghamme wayteth forr a foemann heere.
Words in this poem
- gauntlette n.
- A glove of such material that it defends the hand from wounds. [F. gantelet, dim. of gant glove, LL. wantus, of Teutonic origin; cf. D. want, Sw. & Dan. vante, Icel. vöttr, for vantr.]
- forr prep.
- In the most general sense, indicating that in consideration of, in view of, or with reference to, which anything is done or takes place. [AS. for, fore; akin to OS. for, fora, furi, D. voor, OHG. fora, G. vor, OHG. furi, G. für, Icel. fyrir, Sw. för, Dan. for, adv. för, Goth. faúr, faúra, L. pro, ]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- hemm interj.
- An onomatopoetic word used as an expression of hesitation, doubt, etc. It is often a sort of voluntary half cough, loud or subdued, and would perhaps be better expressed by hm.
- thenn adv.
- At that time (referring to a time specified, either past or future). [Originally the same word as than. See Than.]
- foemanne n.
- An enemy in war. [AS. fhman.]
- spere v. i.
- To search; to pry; to ask; to inquire. [AS. spyrian to inquire, properly, to follow the track; akin to D. speuren, G. spüren, Icel. spyrja. sq. root171. See Spoor.]
- foemann n.
- An enemy in war. [AS. fhman.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Berghamme is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Rowley Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #13037; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Thomas Chatterton, Berghamme, in The Rowley Poems (1777), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13037, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/chatterton-rowley/berghamme.html, id L12150.
Form and metre
Berghamme is 8 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABBCBC. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables.
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 ABABBCBC stedeA · staieB · medeA · affraieB · daieB · spereC · saieB · heereC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I take the challenge; squyre, mie launce and stede. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I, Bourtonne, take the gauntlette; forr mee staie. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Botte, gyff thou fyghteste mee, thou shalt have mede; | 10 | ·········· |
| Somme odherr I wylle champyonn toe affraie; | 11 | ··········· |
| Perchaunce fromme hemm I maie possess the daie, | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Thenn I schalle bee a foemanne forr thie spere. | 11 | ··········· |
| Herehawde, toe the bankes of Knyghtys saie, | 10 | ·········· |
| De Berghamme wayteth forr a foemann heere. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
Notes from the edition 2
The glosses and notes to the Rowley Poems, from Tyrwhitt's edition (Project Gutenberg #13037).
- Line 3 broad.
- Line 4 cause.
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.