The Pictures of Columbus: Picture X
Did not our holy book most clearly sayThis earth is built upon a pillar'd base;And did not Reason add convincing proofsThat this huge world is one continued plainExtending onward to immensity,Bounding with oceans these abodes of men,I should suppose this dreamer had some hopes,Some prospects built on probability.What says our lord the pope--he cannot err--He says, our world is not orbicular,And has rewarded some with chains and deathWho dar'd defend such wicked heresies.But we are turning heretics indeed!--A foreigner, an idiot, an impostor,An infidel (since he dares contradictWhat our most holy order holds for truth)Is pouring poison in the royal ear;Telling him tales of islands in the moon,Leading the nation into dangerous errors,Slighting instruction from our brotherhood!--O Jesu! Jesu! what an age is this!
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.]
- dreamer n.
- One who dreams.
- idiot n.
- A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office. [F. idiot, L. idiota an uneducated, ignorant, ill- informed person, Gr. Idiom.]
- infidel a.
- Not holding the faith; -- applied esp. to one who does not believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the supernatural origin of Christianity. [L. infidelis; pref. in- not + fidelis faithful, fr. fides faith: cf. F. infidèle. See Fidelity.]
- slighting a.
- Characterized by neglect or disregard.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture X 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 X, 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-x.html, id L26056.
Form and metre
The Pictures of Columbus: Picture X is 21 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Did not our holy book most clearly say | 10 | ··//˘··/˘· |
| This earth is built upon a pillar'd base; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And did not Reason add convincing proofs | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| That this huge world is one continued plain | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Extending onward to immensity, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Bounding with oceans these abodes of men, | 10 | /˘·/˘·˘/·· |
| I should suppose this dreamer had some hopes, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Some prospects built on probability. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘˘ |
| What says our lord the pope--he cannot err-- | 10 | ··/····˘/· |
| He says, our world is not orbicular, | 11 | ··/˘···˘/˘˘ |
| And has rewarded some with chains and death | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Who dar'd defend such wicked heresies. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘˘ |
| But we are turning heretics indeed!-- | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| A foreigner, an idiot, an impostor, | 11 | ·/˘·/˘˘·˘/˘ |
| An infidel (since he dares contradict | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| What our most holy order holds for truth) | 10 | ·/·/˘/˘··· |
| Is pouring poison in the royal ear; | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Telling him tales of islands in the moon, | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| Leading the nation into dangerous errors, | 11 | /˘·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Slighting instruction from our brotherhood!-- | 10 | /˘˘/˘·//˘· |
| O Jesu! Jesu! what an age is this! | 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.