Sonnet 58
In former times, such as had store of coyne,In warres at home, or when for conquests bound,For feare that some their treasures should purloyne,Gaue it to keepe to spirites within the ground;And to attend it, them so strongly tide,Till they return'd, home when they neuer came,Such as by art to get the same haue tride,From the strong spirits by no means get the same,Neerer you come, that further flies away,Striuing to holde it strongly in the deepe:Euen as this spirit, so she alone doth play,With those rich Beauties heauen giues her to keepe:Pitty so left, to coldenes of her blood,Not to auaile her, nor do others good.
Words in this poem
- tride a.
- Short and ready; fleet; as, a tride pace; -- a term used by sportsmen. Bailey. [Cf. F. tride lively, quick.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sonnet 58 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, Sonnet 58, in Minor Poems (1594–1619), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #17873, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/drayton-minor-poems/sonnet-58.html, id L20625.
Form and metre
Sonnet 58 is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABCDCDEFEFGG, the pattern of the English sonnet. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
See other English sonnets, 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 ABABCDCDEFEFGG coyneA · boundB · purloyneA · groundB · tideC · cameD · trideC · sameD · awayE · deepeF · playE · keepeF · bloodG · goodG
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 |
|---|---|---|
| In former times, such as had store of coyne, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| In warres at home, or when for conquests bound, | 10 | ·······/·· |
| For feare that some their treasures should purloyne, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Gaue it to keepe to spirites within the ground; | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| And to attend it, them so strongly tide, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Till they return'd, home when they neuer came, | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Such as by art to get the same haue tride, | 10 | ·········· |
| From the strong spirits by no means get the same, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Neerer you come, that further flies away, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Striuing to holde it strongly in the deepe: | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Euen as this spirit, so she alone doth play, | 10 | ···/··˘/·· |
| With those rich Beauties heauen giues her to keepe: | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Pitty so left, to coldenes of her blood, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Not to auaile her, nor do others good. | 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.