Why cannot we always be
Why cannot we always beLeft steeped in this immensityOf softly stirring peaceful grayThat follows on the dying day?Here I can drug my prisoned woeIn the night wind's sigh and flow,But now we, who would dream at night,Are awakened by the lightOf paper lanterns, in whose glowFantastically to and froPass, in a loud extravaganceAnd reft of grace, yet called a dance,Dancers in a blatant crowdTo brass horns horrible and loud.
The blaring beats on gustilyFrom every side. Must I seeAlways this unclean heated thingDebauching the unarmèd springWhile my back I cannot turn,Nor may not shut these eyes that burn?The poplars shake and sway with frightUncontrollable, the nightPowerless in ruthless graspLifts hidden hands as though to clasp,In invocation for surcease,The flying stars.
Once there was peaceCalm handed where the roses blow,And hyacinths, straight row on row;And hushed among the trees. What!Has my poor marble heart forgotThis surging noise in dreams of peaceThat it once thought could never ceaseNor pale? Still the blaring fallsCrashing between my garden wallsGustily about my earsAnd my eyes, uncooled by tears,Are drawn as my stone heart is drawn,Until the east bleeds in the dawnAnd the clean face of the dayDrives them slinkingly away.
Words in this poem
- immensity n.
- The state or quality of being immense; inlimited or immeasurable extension; infinity; vastness in extent or bulk; greatness. [L. immensitas: cf. F. immensité.]
- reft n.
- A chink; a rift. See Rift. Rom. of R.
- blatant a.
- Bellowing, as a calf; bawling; brawling; clamoring; disagreeably clamorous; sounding loudly and harshly. [Cf. Bleat.]
- ruthless a.
- Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.
- surcease v. t.
- To cause to cease; to end.
- crashing n.
- The noise of many things falling and breaking at once.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Why cannot we always be is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Marble Faun, Wikisource; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Faulkner, Why cannot we always be, in The Marble Faun (1924), text of Wikisource, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/faulkner-marble-faun/section-16.html, id L28628.
Form and metre
Why cannot we always be is 41 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 93% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 AABBCCDDEEFFGG beA · immensityA · grayB · dayB · woeC · flowC · nightD · lightD · glowE · froE · extravaganceF · danceF · crowdG · loudG
- 2 AABBCCDDEEFF gustilyA · seeA · thingB · springB · turnC · burnC · frightD · nightD · graspE · claspE · surceaseF · starsF
- 3 ABB--AACCDDEEFF peaceA · blowB · rowB · what · forgot · peaceA · ceaseA · fallsC · wallsC · earsD · tearsD · drawnE · dawnE · dayF · awayF
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Why cannot we always be | 7 | ·˘/·/·· |
| Left steeped in this immensity | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| Of softly stirring peaceful gray | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| That follows on the dying day? | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Here I can drug my prisoned woe | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In the night wind's sigh and flow, | 7 | ······· |
| But now we, who would dream at night, | 8 | ········ |
| Are awakened by the light | 8 | ·˘/˘˘··· |
| Of paper lanterns, in whose glow | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Fantastically to and fro | 7 | ˘/˘˘··· |
| Pass, in a loud extravagance | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| And reft of grace, yet called a dance, | 8 | ········ |
| Dancers in a blatant crowd | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| To brass horns horrible and loud. | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| The blaring beats on gustily | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| From every side. Must I see | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Always this unclean heated thing | 8 | /˘·˘//˘· |
| Debauching the unarmèd spring | 7 | /˘˘···· |
| While my back I cannot turn, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Nor may not shut these eyes that burn? | 8 | ········ |
| The poplars shake and sway with fright | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Uncontrollable, the night | 7 | ·˘/˘˘·· |
| Powerless in ruthless grasp | 7 | /˘˘·/˘· |
| Lifts hidden hands as though to clasp, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| In invocation for surcease, | 8 | ··˘/˘·˘/ |
| The flying stars. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Once there was peace | 4 | ···· |
| Calm handed where the roses blow, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And hyacinths, straight row on row; | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| And hushed among the trees. What! | 8 | ··˘····· |
| Has my poor marble heart forgot | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| This surging noise in dreams of peace | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That it once thought could never cease | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Nor pale? Still the blaring falls | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Crashing between my garden walls | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Gustily about my ears | 7 | ······· |
| And my eyes, uncooled by tears, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Are drawn as my stone heart is drawn, | 8 | ········ |
| Until the east bleeds in the dawn | 8 | ········ |
| And the clean face of the day | 7 | ······· |
| Drives them slinkingly away. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
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