Two Choruses from “Merlin in Broceliande.” I
When the spirit burns within the chapelsThe stones are quick with faith.When the branch hangs out its reddened applesThe tree is strong with breath;When love’s womb conceives the stirring blossomThe heart is full of power;When youth leaps in the darkness of the bosomThe body is in flower.When the fiery spirit deserts the chapels,Bury religion’s corse;When the branch no more puts forth its apples,Fell the tree at the source;When love feeds itself and not its blossomThe heart’s core withereth;When youth makes no movement in the bosomThe body is signed to death.
Life, what art thou? A golden fountain art thou:When the fountain springs not, life, depart thou!
Saw ye the stars last night, all still,Remote, and bitter-cold,Who were too passionless to thrill,Being so wise and old?
O saw ye not one star alight,A leap of silver fire,Did ye not see it sear the nightAnd die of its own desire?
Saw ye the ancient stars look onLocked in a chilly dreamWhich banished the awakened oneBeyond their frozen scheme?
O saw ye not the ashen bandFade in the morning-gold,Who long had ceased to understand,Being so bitter-old?
Words in this poem
- womb n.
- The belly; the abdomen. [OE. wombe, wambe, AS. wamb, womb; akin to D. wam belly, OS. & OHG. wamba, G. wamme, wampe, Icel. vömb, Sw. v&mb, Dan. vom, Goth. wamba.]
- corse n.
- A living body or its bulk. [OF. cors, F. corps. See Corpse.]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- passionless a.
- Void of passion; without anger or emotion; not easily excited; calm.
- ashen a.
- Of or pertaining to the ash tree. [See Ash, the tree.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Two Choruses from “Merlin in Broceliande.” I is in the public domain. This text is taken from Sonnets and Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #56244; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Eleanor Farjeon, Two Choruses from “Merlin in Broceliande.” I, in Sonnets and Poems (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #56244, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/farjeon-sonnets-poems/two-choruses-from-merlin-in-broceliande-i.html, id L21990.
Form and metre
Two Choruses from “Merlin in Broceliande.” I is 34 lines in 6 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 3 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
See other poems in common measure.
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-ABCDEDAFAFCBEB chapelsA · faith · applesA · breathB · blossomC · powerD · bosomE · flowerD · chapelsA · corseF · applesA · sourceF · blossomC · witherethB · bosomE · deathB
- 2 AA thouA · thouA
- 3 ABAB stillA · coldB · thrillA · oldB
- 4 ABAB alightA · fireB · nightA · desireB
- 5 -A-A on · dreamA · one · schemeA
- 6 ABAB bandA · goldB · understandA · oldB
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When the spirit burns within the chapels | 9 | ··/····/˘ |
| The stones are quick with faith. | 6 | ······ |
| When the branch hangs out its reddened apples | 10 | ······/˘/˘ |
| The tree is strong with breath; | 6 | ······ |
| When love’s womb conceives the stirring blossom | 10 | ···˘/·/˘/˘ |
| The heart is full of power; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| When youth leaps in the darkness of the bosom | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| The body is in flower. | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| When the fiery spirit deserts the chapels, | 10 | ··/˘/˘/·/˘ |
| Bury religion’s corse; | 6 | /˘˘/˘· |
| When the branch no more puts forth its apples, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Fell the tree at the source; | 6 | ······ |
| When love feeds itself and not its blossom | 10 | ···˘/···/˘ |
| The heart’s core withereth; | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| When youth makes no movement in the bosom | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| The body is signed to death. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Life, what art thou? A golden fountain art thou: | 11 | ·····/˘/˘·· |
| When the fountain springs not, life, depart thou! | 10 | ··/˘···˘/· |
| Saw ye the stars last night, all still, | 8 | ········ |
| Remote, and bitter-cold, | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| Who were too passionless to thrill, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Being so wise and old? | 6 | /˘···· |
| O saw ye not one star alight, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| A leap of silver fire, | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Did ye not see it sear the night | 8 | ········ |
| And die of its own desire? | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Saw ye the ancient stars look on | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Locked in a chilly dream | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Which banished the awakened one | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Beyond their frozen scheme? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| O saw ye not the ashen band | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Fade in the morning-gold, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Who long had ceased to understand, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Being so bitter-old? | 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.