On a Foule Morning, Being Then to Take a Journey
Where art thou Sol, while thus the blind-fold DayStaggers out of the East, loses her wayStumbling on Night? Rouze thee illustrious youth,And let no dull mists choake thy Light's faire growth.Point here thy beames: O glance on yonder flocks,And make their fleeces golden as thy locks.Vnfold thy faire front, and there shall appeareFull glory, flaming in her owne free spheare.Gladnesse shall cloath the Earth, we will instileThe face of things, an universall smile.Say to the sullen Morne, thou com'st to court her;And wilt command proud Zephirus to sport herWith wanton gales: his balmy breath shall lickeThe tender drops which tremble on her cheeke;Which rarified, and in a gentle raineOn those delicious bankes distill'd againe,Shall rise in a sweet Harvest, which disclosesTwo ever-blushing beds of new-borne roses.Hee'l fan her bright locks, teaching them to flow,And friske in curl'd maeanders: hee will throwA fragrant breath suckt from the spicy nestO' th' pretious phoenix, warme upon her breast.Hee with a dainty and soft hand will trimAnd brush her azure mantle, which shall swimIn silken volumes; wheresoe're shee'l tread,Bright clouds like golden fleeces shall be spread.Rise then (faire blew-ey'd maid!) rise and discoverThy silver brow, and meet thy golden lover.See how hee runs, with what a hasty flight,Into thy bosome, bath'd with liquid light.Fly, fly prophane fogs, farre hence fly away,Taint not the pure streames of the springing Day,With your dull influence; it is for youTo sit and scoule upon Night's heavy brow,Not on the fresh cheekes of the virgin Morne,Where nought but smiles, and ruddy joyes are worne.Fly then, and doe not thinke with her to stay;Let it suffice, shee'l weare no maske to day.
Words in this poem
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- sullen a.
- Lonely; solitary; desolate. Wyclif (Job iii. 14). [OE. solein, solain, lonely, sullen; through Old French fr. (assumed) LL. solanus solitary, fr. L. solus alone. See Sole, a.]
- morne a.
- Of or pertaining to the morn; morning.
- balmy a.
- Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging; soothing; refreshing; mild.
- dainty n.
- Value; estimation; the gratification or pleasure taken in anything. [OE. deinie, dainte, deintie, deyntee, OF. deintié delicacy, orig., dignity, honor, fr. L. dignitas, fr. dignus worthy. See Deign, and cf. Dignity.]
- discover v. i.
- To discover or show one's self.
- farre n.
- A young pig, or a litter of pigs. [See Farrow.]
- suffice v. i.
- To be enough, or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be equal to the end proposed; to be adequate. [OE. suffisen, OF. soufire, F. suffire (cf. suffisant, p.pr.), L. sufficere to put under, to substitute, to avail for, to suffice; sub under + facere to make. Se]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On a Foule Morning, Being Then to Take a Journey is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I, Project Gutenberg ebook #38549; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Richard Crashaw, On a Foule Morning, Being Then to Take a Journey, in Steps to the Temple and Other Poems (1646–1652), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38549, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/crashaw-poems/on-a-foule-morning-being-then-to-take-a-journey.html, id L12108.
Form and metre
On a Foule Morning, Being Then to Take a Journey is 38 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 79% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 37% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, 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 AA--BBCCDD----EEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM--NNOO dayA · wayA · youth · growth · flocksB · locksB · appeareC · spheareC · instileD · smileD · her · her · licke · cheeke · raineE · againeE · disclosesF · rosesF · flowG · throwG · nestH · breastH · trimI · swimI · treadJ · spreadJ · discoverK · loverK · flightL · lightL · awayM · dayM · you · brow · morneN · worneN · stayO · dayO
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Where art thou Sol, while thus the blind-fold Day | 10 | ·········· |
| Staggers out of the East, loses her way | 10 | /˘····/˘·· |
| Stumbling on Night? Rouze thee illustrious youth, | 10 | /˘····˘/˘· |
| And let no dull mists choake thy Light's faire growth. | 10 | ·········· |
| Point here thy beames: O glance on yonder flocks, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And make their fleeces golden as thy locks. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Vnfold thy faire front, and there shall appeare | 9 | ········· |
| Full glory, flaming in her owne free spheare. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Gladnesse shall cloath the Earth, we will instile | 11 | ··········· |
| The face of things, an universall smile. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Say to the sullen Morne, thou com'st to court her; | 12 | ···/˘/˘····· |
| And wilt command proud Zephirus to sport her | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| With wanton gales: his balmy breath shall licke | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The tender drops which tremble on her cheeke; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Which rarified, and in a gentle raine | 9 | ······/˘· |
| On those delicious bankes distill'd againe, | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/·· |
| Shall rise in a sweet Harvest, which discloses | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| Two ever-blushing beds of new-borne roses. | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/˘ |
| Hee'l fan her bright locks, teaching them to flow, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And friske in curl'd maeanders: hee will throw | 9 | ········· |
| A fragrant breath suckt from the spicy nest | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| O' th' pretious phoenix, warme upon her breast. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Hee with a dainty and soft hand will trim | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And brush her azure mantle, which shall swim | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| In silken volumes; wheresoe're shee'l tread, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Bright clouds like golden fleeces shall be spread. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Rise then (faire blew-ey'd maid!) rise and discover | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Thy silver brow, and meet thy golden lover. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| See how hee runs, with what a hasty flight, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Into thy bosome, bath'd with liquid light. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Fly, fly prophane fogs, farre hence fly away, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| Taint not the pure streames of the springing Day, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| With your dull influence; it is for you | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| To sit and scoule upon Night's heavy brow, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| Not on the fresh cheekes of the virgin Morne, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Where nought but smiles, and ruddy joyes are worne. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Fly then, and doe not thinke with her to stay; | 10 | ·········· |
| Let it suffice, shee'l weare no maske to day. | 10 | ··˘/······ |
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