The Pictures of Columbus: Picture I
As o'er his charts Columbus ran,Such disproportion he survey'd,He thought he saw in art's mean planBlunders that Nature never made;The land in one poor corner placed,And all beside, a swelling waste!--"It can't be so," Columbus said;
"This world on paper idly drawn,"O'er one small tract so often gone"The pencil tires; in this void space"Allow'd to find no resting place.
"But copying Nature's bold design,"If true to her, no fault is mine;"Perhaps in these moist regions dwell"Forms wrought like man, and lov'd as well.
"Yet to the west what lengthen'd seas!"Are no gay islands found in these,"No sylvan worlds that Nature meant"To balance Asia's vast extent?
"As late a mimic globe I made"(Imploring Fancy to my aid)"O'er these wild seas a shade I threw,"And a new world my pencil drew.
"But westward plac'd, and far away"In the deep seas this country lay"Beyond all climes already known,"In Neptune's bosom plac'd alone.
"Who knows but he that hung this ball"In the clear void, and governs all,"On those dread scenes, remote from view,"Has trac'd his great idea too.
"What can these idle charts avail--"O'er real seas I mean to sail;"If fortune aids the grand design,"Worlds yet unthought of shall be mine.
"But how shall I this country find!"Gay, painted picture of the mind!"Religion holds my project vain,"And owns no worlds beyond the main.
"'Midst yonder hills long time has stay'd"In sylvan cells a wondrous maid,"Who things to come can truly tell,"Dread mistress of the magic spell.
"Whate'er the depths of time can shew"All pass before her in review,"And all events her eyes survey,"'Till time and nature both decay.
"I'll to her cave, enquiring there"What mighty things the fates prepare;"Whether my hopes and plans are vain,"Or I must give new worlds to Spain."
Words in this poem
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- imploring a.
- That implores; beseeching; entreating.
- 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,]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- shew n.
- Show. [Obs. except in shewbread.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture I is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 1 (of 3), Project Gutenberg ebook #38475; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Philip Freneau, The Pictures of Columbus: Picture I, in Columbus to Ferdinand, and other poems (1786–1815), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #38475, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/freneau-poems/the-pictures-of-columbus-picture-i.html, id L26047.
Form and metre
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture I is 51 lines in 12 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is AABB, complete in 11 of its 12 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%).
See 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 ABABCC- ranA · survey'dB · planA · madeB · placedC · wasteC · said
- 2 AABB drawnA · goneA · spaceB · placeB
- 3 AABB designA · mineA · dwellB · wellB
- 4 AABB seasA · theseA · meantB · extentB
- 5 AABB madeA · aidA · threwB · drewB
- 6 AABB awayA · layA · knownB · aloneB
- 7 AABB ballA · allA · viewB · tooB
- 8 AABB availA · sailA · designB · mineB
- 9 AABB findA · mindA · vainB · mainB
- 10 AABB stay'dA · maidA · tellB · spellB
- 11 AABB shewA · reviewA · surveyB · decayB
- 12 AABB thereA · prepareA · vainB · spainB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| As o'er his charts Columbus ran, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Such disproportion he survey'd, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| He thought he saw in art's mean plan | 8 | ········ |
| Blunders that Nature never made; | 8 | /˘·/˘/˘· |
| The land in one poor corner placed, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And all beside, a swelling waste!-- | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| "It can't be so," Columbus said; | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "This world on paper idly drawn, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| "O'er one small tract so often gone | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "The pencil tires; in this void space | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| "Allow'd to find no resting place. | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| "But copying Nature's bold design, | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| "If true to her, no fault is mine; | 8 | ········ |
| "Perhaps in these moist regions dwell | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| "Forms wrought like man, and lov'd as well. | 8 | ········ |
| "Yet to the west what lengthen'd seas! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Are no gay islands found in these, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "No sylvan worlds that Nature meant | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "To balance Asia's vast extent? | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| "As late a mimic globe I made | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| "(Imploring Fancy to my aid) | 8 | ˘/˘/˘··· |
| "O'er these wild seas a shade I threw, | 8 | ········ |
| "And a new world my pencil drew. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "But westward plac'd, and far away | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| "In the deep seas this country lay | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Beyond all climes already known, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "In Neptune's bosom plac'd alone. | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| "Who knows but he that hung this ball | 8 | ········ |
| "In the clear void, and governs all, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "On those dread scenes, remote from view, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| "Has trac'd his great idea too. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "What can these idle charts avail-- | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| "O'er real seas I mean to sail; | 7 | ······· |
| "If fortune aids the grand design, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| "Worlds yet unthought of shall be mine. | 8 | ········ |
| "But how shall I this country find! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Gay, painted picture of the mind! | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| "Religion holds my project vain, | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| "And owns no worlds beyond the main. | 8 | ········ |
| "'Midst yonder hills long time has stay'd | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| "In sylvan cells a wondrous maid, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "Who things to come can truly tell, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| "Dread mistress of the magic spell. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| "Whate'er the depths of time can shew | 9 | ˘˘/······ |
| "All pass before her in review, | 8 | ·······/ |
| "And all events her eyes survey, | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| "'Till time and nature both decay. | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| "I'll to her cave, enquiring there | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| "What mighty things the fates prepare; | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| "Whether my hopes and plans are vain, | 8 | ········ |
| "Or I must give new worlds to Spain." | 8 | ········ |
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.