Laurel · Théophile Gautier · Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems

The Poem of Woman: Marble of Paros

Théophile Gautier (1811–1872), translated by Agnes Lee · 1903

iambic pentameter · ABBA · 68 lines · from Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems

Unto the dreamer once whose heart she had,As she was showing forth her treasures rare,Minded she was to read a poem fair,The poem of her form with beauty glad.

First stately and superb she swept beforeHis gazing eyes, with high, Infanta mien,Trailing behind her all the splendid sheenOf nacarat floods of velvet that she wore.

Thus at the opera had he watched her bendFrom out her box, her body one bright flame,When all the air was ringing with her name,And every song made her fair praise ascend.

Then had her art another way, for look!The weighty velvet dropped, and in its placeA pale and cloudy fabric proved the graceOf every line her glowing body took;

Till softly from her shoulder marble-sweetThe veil diaphanous fell, the folds whereofCame fluttering downward like a snowy dove,To nestle in the wonder of her feet.

She posed as for Apelles pridefully,A lovely flesh and marble womanhood:--Anadyomene, she upright stoodNaked upon the margent of the sea.

Fairer than any foam-drops crystalline,Great pearls of Venice lay upon her breast,Jewels of milky wonder lightly pressedUpon the cool, fresh satin of her skin.

Exhaustless as the waves that kiss the brim,Under the gleaming moon of many moods,Were all the strophes of her attitudes.What fascination sang her beauty's hymn!

But soon, grown weary of an art antique,Of Phidias and of Venus, lo! againWithin another new and plastic strainShe grouped her charms unveiled and unique.

Upon a cashmere opulently spread,Sultana of Seraglio then she lay,Laughing unto her little mirror gay,That laughed again with lips of coral red;

The indolent, soft Georgian, posturingWith her long, supple narghile at lip,Showing the glorious fashion of her hip,One foot upon the other languishing.

And, like to Ingres' Odalisque, supine,Defying prurient modesty turned she,Displaying in her beauty candidlyWonder of curve and purity of line.

But hence, thou idle Odalisque! for lifeHath now its own fair picture to display--The diamond in its rare effulgent ray,--Beauty in Love hath reached its blossom rife.

She sways her body, bendeth back her head.Her breathing comes more subtle and more fast.Rocked in her dream's alluring arms, at lastDown hath she fallen upon her costly bed.

Her eyelids beat like fluttering pinions litUpon the darkened silver of her eyes.Her bright, voluptuous glances upward riseInto the vague and nacreous infinite.

Deck her with sweet, lush violets, insteadOf death-flowers with their every pearl a tear;Scatter their purple clusters on her bier,Who of her being's ecstasy lies dead.

And bear her very gently to her tomb--Her bed of white. There let the poet stay,Long hours upon his bended knees to pray,When night shall close around the funeral room.

Words in this poem 29

dreamer n.: One who dreams.
superb a.: Grand; magnificent; august; stately; as, a superb edifice; a superb colonnade. [F. superbe, L. superbus, fr. super over. See Super-.]
infanta n.: A title borne by every one of the daughters of the kings of Spain and Portugal, except the eldest. [Sp. & Pg., fem. of infante. See Infante.]
sheen v. i.: To shine; to glisten.
nacarat n.: A pale red color, with a cast of orange. Ure. [F. nacarat, fr. Sp. or Pg. nacarado, fr. nácar mother-of-pearl. See Nacre.]
diaphanous a.: Allowing light to pass through, as porcelain; translucent or transparent; pellucid; clear. [Gr. diaphane. See Phantom, and cf. Diaphane, Diaphanic.]
whereof adv.: Of which; of whom; formerly, also, with which; -- used relatively.
snowy a.: White like snow.
nestle v. i.: To make and occupy a nest; to nest. [AS. nestlian.]
posed a.: Firm; determined; fixed.
margent n.: A margin; border; brink; edge. [OE. See Margin.]
exhaustless a.: Not be exhausted; inexhaustible; as, an exhaustless fund or store.
fascination n.: The act of fascinating, bewhiching, or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; the exercise of a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen, inexplicable influence. [L. fascinatio; cf. F. fascination.]
unique a.: Being without a like or equal; unmatched; unequaled; unparalleled; single in kind or excellence; sole. [F. unique; cf. It. unico; from L. unicus, from unus one. See One.]
sultana n.: The wife of a sultan; a sultaness. [It.]
seraglio n.: An inclosure; a place of separation. [It. serraglio, originally, an inclosure of palisades, afterwards also, a palace, seraglio (by confusion with Per. sera\'8ba a palace, an entirely different word]
indolent a.: Free from toil, pain, or trouble. [Pref. in- not + L. dolens, -entis, p. pr. of dolere to feel pain: cf. F. indolent. See Dolorous.]
georgian a.: Of or pertaining to Georgia, in Asia, or to Georgia, one of the United States.
glorious a.: Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
odalisque n.: A female slave or concubine in the harem of the Turkish sultan. [F., fr. Turk. odaliq chambermaid, fr. oda chamber, room.]
supine a.: Lying on the back, or with the face upward; -- opposed to prone. [L. supinus, akin to sub under, super above. Cf. Sub-, Super-.]
prurient a.: Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious curiosity or propensity; lustful. [L. pruries, -entis, p. pr. of prurire to itch. Cf. Freeze.]
candidly adv.: In a candid manner.
effulgent a.: Diffusing a flood of light; shining; luminous; beaming; bright; splendid. [L. effulgens, -entis, p. pr. of effulgere.]
rife a.: Prevailing; prevalent; abounding. [AS. rif abundant, or Icel. rifr munificent; akin to OD. riff, rijve, abundant.]
nacreous a.: Consisting of, or resembling, nacre; pearly. [See Nacre.]
lush a.: Full of juice or succulence. [Prob. an abbrev. of lushious, fr. luscious.]
bier n.: A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
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,]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

The Poem of Woman: Marble of Paros is in the public domain. This text is taken from Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #29521, the Agnes Lee translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Théophile Gautier, The Poem of Woman: Marble of Paros, in Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #29521, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/gautier-enamels-cameos/the-poem-of-woman-marble-of-paros.html, id L26986.

Form and metre

The Poem of Woman: Marble of Paros is 68 lines in 17 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABBA. 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.

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 ABBA had^A · rare^B · fair^B · glad^A
2 ABBA before^A · mien^B · sheen^B · wore^A
3 ABBA bend^A · flame^B · name^B · ascend^A
4 ABBA look^A · place^B · grace^B · took^A
5 ABBA sweet^A · whereof^B · dove^B · feet^A
6 ABBA pridefully^A · womanhood^B · stood^B · sea^A
7 ABBA crystalline^A · breast^B · pressed^B · skin^A
8 ABBA brim^A · moods^B · attitudes^B · hymn^A
9 ABBA antique^A · again^B · strain^B · unique^A
10 ABBA spread^A · lay^B · gay^B · red^A
11 ABBA posturing^A · lip^B · hip^B · languishing^A
12 ABBA supine^A · she^B · candidly^B · line^A
13 ABBA life^A · display^B · ray^B · rife^A
14 ABBA head^A · fast^B · last^B · bed^A
15 ABBA lit^A · eyes^B · rise^B · infinite^A
16 ABBA instead^A · tear^B · bier^B · dead^A
17 ABBA tomb^A · stay^B · pray^B · room^A

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
Unto the dreamer once whose heart she had,	10	···/˘·····
As she was showing forth her treasures rare,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Minded she was to read a poem fair,	10	/˘·····/˘·
The poem of her form with beauty glad.	10	·/˘····/˘·
First stately and superb she swept before	10	·/˘·˘/····
His gazing eyes, with high, Infanta mien,	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
Trailing behind her all the splendid sheen	10	/˘·····/˘·
Of nacarat floods of velvet that she wore.	11	·/˘˘··/˘···
Thus at the opera had he watched her bend	10	···/˘·····
From out her box, her body one bright flame,	10	·····/˘···
When all the air was ringing with her name,	10	·····/˘···
And every song made her fair praise ascend.	10	·/˘·····˘/
Then had her art another way, for look!	10	····˘/˘···
The weighty velvet dropped, and in its place	10	·/˘/˘·····
A pale and cloudy fabric proved the grace	10	···/˘/˘···
Of every line her glowing body took;	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Till softly from her shoulder marble-sweet	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
The veil diaphanous fell, the folds whereof	10	··˘/˘·····
Came fluttering downward like a snowy dove,	10	·/˘˘/··/˘·
To nestle in the wonder of her feet.	10	·/˘··/˘···
She posed as for Apelles pridefully,	10	····˘/····
A lovely flesh and marble womanhood:--	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Anadyomene, she upright stood	8	·····˘/·
Naked upon the margent of the sea.	10	/˘···/˘···
Fairer than any foam-drops crystalline,	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
Great pearls of Venice lay upon her breast,	10	···/˘·····
Jewels of milky wonder lightly pressed	10	/˘·/˘/˘/˘·
Upon the cool, fresh satin of her skin.	10	·····/˘···
Exhaustless as the waves that kiss the brim,	10	˘/˘·······
Under the gleaming moon of many moods,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Were all the strophes of her attitudes.	9	······/˘·
What fascination sang her beauty's hymn!	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
But soon, grown weary of an art antique,	10	···/˘···˘/
Of Phidias and of Venus, lo! again	10	·····/˘·˘/
Within another new and plastic strain	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
She grouped her charms unveiled and unique.	10	··˘··˘/·˘/
Upon a cashmere opulently spread,	10	···/˘·····
Sultana of Seraglio then she lay,	10	˘/˘·˘/˘···
Laughing unto her little mirror gay,	10	/˘···/˘/˘·
That laughed again with lips of coral red;	10	··˘/···/˘·
The indolent, soft Georgian, posturing	10	·/˘˘·/˘/˘˘
With her long, supple narghile at lip,	10	···/˘·····
Showing the glorious fashion of her hip,	10	/˘·/˘/˘···
One foot upon the other languishing.	10	·····/˘/˘˘
And, like to Ingres' Odalisque, supine,	9	·······˘/
Defying prurient modesty turned she,	10	˘/˘/˘/˘˘··
Displaying in her beauty candidly	10	˘/˘··/˘/˘˘
Wonder of curve and purity of line.	10	/˘···/˘˘··
But hence, thou idle Odalisque! for life	10	···/˘·····
Hath now its own fair picture to display--	10	·····/˘·˘/
The diamond in its rare effulgent ray,--	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
Beauty in Love hath reached its blossom rife.	10	/˘·····/˘·
She sways her body, bendeth back her head.	10	···/˘/˘···
Her breathing comes more subtle and more fast.	10	·/˘··/˘···
Rocked in her dream's alluring arms, at last	10	····˘/˘···
Down hath she fallen upon her costly bed.	11	···/˘···/˘·
Her eyelids beat like fluttering pinions lit	10	·/···/˘/˘·
Upon the darkened silver of her eyes.	10	···/˘/˘···
Her bright, voluptuous glances upward rise	10	··˘/˘/˘/˘·
Into the vague and nacreous infinite.	11	·····/˘˘/˘˘
Deck her with sweet, lush violets, instead	10	·····/˘˘˘/
Of death-flowers with their every pearl a tear;	10	··/··/˘···
Scatter their purple clusters on her bier,	10	/˘·/˘/˘···
Who of her being's ecstasy lies dead.	10	···/˘/˘˘··
And bear her very gently to her tomb--	10	···/˘/˘···
Her bed of white. There let the poet stay,	10	·······/˘·
Long hours upon his bended knees to pray,	10	·/···/˘···
When night shall close around the funeral room.	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.

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