Ode 8: Singe Wee the Rose

Michael Drayton (1563–1631) · 1594–1619

iambic trimeter · AABCCB · 54 lines · from Minor Poems

Singe wee the RoseThen which no flower there growesIs sweeter:And aptly her compareWith what in that is rareA parallel none meeter.

Or made poses,Of this that inclosesSuche blisses,That naturally flushethAs she blushethWhen she is robd of kisses.

Or if strew'dWhen with the morning dew'dOr stilling,Or howe to sense expos'dAll which in her inclos'd,Ech place with sweetnes filling.

That most renown'dBy Nature richly crowndWith yellow,Of that delitious layreAnd as pure, her hayreVnto the same the fellowe,

Fearing of harmeNature that flower doth armeFrom danger,The touch giues her offenceBut with reuerenceVnto her selfe a stranger.

That redde, or white,Or mixt, the sence delyteBehoulding,In her complexionAll which perfectionSuch harmony infouldinge.

That deuydedEre it was descidedWhich most pure,Began the greeuous warOf York and Lancaster,That did many yeeres indure.

Conflicts as greateAs were in all that heateI sustaine:By her, as many hartsAs men on either partsThat with her eies hath slaine.

The Primrose flowerThe first of Flora's bowerIs placed,Soo is shee first as bestThough excellent the rest,All gracing, by none graced.

Words in this poem

aptly adv.: In an apt or suitable manner; fitly; properly; pertinently; appropriately; readily.
layre n.: One who, or that which, lays. [See Lay to cause to lie flat.]
offence n.: The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
redde: obs. imp. of Read, or Rede.
complexion n.: The state of being complex; complexity. [F. complexion, fr. L. complexio. See Complex, a.]
graced a.: Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable.

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

About this text

Ode 8: Singe Wee the Rose is in the public domain. This text is taken from Minor Poems of Michael Drayton, Project Gutenberg ebook #17873; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Michael Drayton, Ode 8: Singe Wee the Rose, in Minor Poems (1594–1619), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17873, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/drayton-minor-poems/ode-8-singe-wee-the-rose.html, id L20640.

Form and metre

Ode 8: Singe Wee the Rose is 54 lines in 9 stanzas of 6 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABCCB, complete in 7 of its 9 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

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 AABCCB rose^A · growes^A · sweeter^B · compare^C · rare^C · meeter^B
2 AABCCB poses^A · incloses^A · blisses^B · flusheth^C · blusheth^C · kisses^B
3 AABCCB strew'd^A · dew'd^A · stilling^B · expos'd^C · inclos'd^C · filling^B
4 AA-BB- renown'd^A · crownd^A · yellow · layre^B · hayre^B · fellowe
5 AABCCB harme^A · arme^A · danger^B · offence^C · reuerence^C · stranger^B
6 AABCCB white^A · delyte^A · behoulding^B · complexion^C · perfection^C · infouldinge^B
7 AA---- deuyded^A · descided^A · pure · war · lancaster · indure
8 AABCCB greate^A · heate^A · sustaine^B · harts^C · parts^C · slaine^B
9 AABCCB flower^A · bower^A · placed^B · best^C · rest^C · graced^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 trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Singe wee the Rose	4	····
Then which no flower there growes	6	···/··
Is sweeter:	3	·/˘
And aptly her compare	6	·/˘·˘/
With what in that is rare	6	······
A parallel none meeter.	7	·/˘··/˘
Or made poses,	4	··/˘
Of this that incloses	6	······
Suche blisses,	3	·/˘
That naturally flusheth	7	·/˘˘˘/˘
As she blusheth	4	··/˘
When she is robd of kisses.	7	·····/˘
Or if strew'd	3	···
When with the morning dew'd	6	···/˘·
Or stilling,	3	·/˘
Or howe to sense expos'd	6	····˘/
All which in her inclos'd,	6	······
Ech place with sweetnes filling.	6	····/˘
That most renown'd	4	··˘/
By Nature richly crownd	6	·/˘/˘·
With yellow,	3	·/˘
Of that delitious layre	7	·····/˘
And as pure, her hayre	6	····/˘
Vnto the same the fellowe,	6	······
Fearing of harme	4	/˘··
Nature that flower doth arme	6	/˘·/··
From danger,	3	·/˘
The touch giues her offence	6	····˘/
But with reuerence	4	····
Vnto her selfe a stranger.	6	····/˘
That redde, or white,	4	····
Or mixt, the sence delyte	6	······
Behoulding,	3	···
In her complexion	5	··˘/˘
All which perfection	5	··˘/˘
Such harmony infouldinge.	6	·/˘···
That deuyded	3	···
Ere it was descided	6	······
Which most pure,	3	···
Began the greeuous war	5	˘/···
Of York and Lancaster,	6	···/˘˘
That did many yeeres indure.	6	··/···
Conflicts as greate	4	˘/··
As were in all that heate	6	······
I sustaine:	3	···
By her, as many harts	6	···/˘·
As men on either parts	6	···/˘·
That with her eies hath slaine.	6	······
The Primrose flower	5	·/·/˘
The first of Flora's bower	7	···/˘/˘
Is placed,	2	··
Soo is shee first as best	6	······
Though excellent the rest,	6	·/˘˘··
All gracing, by none graced.	6	·/˘···

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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