Street
Fair lady, let it not offend you,That arm and escort I would lend you!
I’m neither lady, neither fair,And home I can go without your care.
By Heaven, the girl is wondrous fair!Of all I’ve seen, beyond compare;So sweetly virtuous and pure,And yet a little pert, be sure!The lip so red, the cheek’s clear dawn,I’ll not forget while the world rolls on!How she cast down her timid eyes,Deep in my heart imprinted lies:How short and sharp of speech was she,Why, ’twas a real ecstasy!
She, there? She’s coming from confession,Of every sin absolved; for I,Behind her chair, was listening nigh.So innocent is she, indeed,That to confess she had no need.I have no power o’er souls so green.
How now! You’re talking like Jack Rake,Who every flower for himself would take,And fancies there are no favors more,Nor honors, save for him in store;Yet always doesn’t the thing succeed.
Most Worthy Pedagogue, take heed!Let not a word of moral law be spoken!I claim, I tell thee, all my right;And if that image of delightRest not within mine arms to-night,At midnight is our compact broken.
But think, the chances of the case!I need, at least, a fortnight’s space,To find an opportune occasion.
Had I but seven hours for all,I should not on the Devil call,But win her by my own persuasion.
You almost like a Frenchman prate;Yet, pray, don’t take it as annoyance!Why, all at once, exhaust the joyance?Your bliss is by no means so greatAs if you’d use, to get control,All sorts of tender rigmarole,And knead and shape her to your thought,As in Italian tales ’tis taught.
But now, leave jesting out of sight!I tell you, once for all, that speedWith this fair girl will not succeed;By storm she cannot captured be;We must make use of strategy.
Get me something the angel keeps!Lead me thither where she sleeps!Get me a kerchief from her breast,—A garter that her knee has pressed!
That you may see how much I’d fainFurther and satisfy your pain,We will no longer lose a minute;I’ll find her room to-day, and take you in it.
No!Unto a neighbor she must go,And meanwhile thou, alone, mayst glowWith every hope of future pleasure,Breathing her atmosphere in fullest measure.
Presents at once? That’s good: he’s certain to get at her!Full many a pleasant place I know,And treasures, buried long ago:I must, perforce, look up the matter. [Exit.
Words in this poem
- wondrous adv.
- In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- opportune v. t.
- To suit. Dr. Clerke(1637).
- frenchman n.
- A native or one of the people of France.
- joyance n.
- Enjoyment; gayety; festivity; joyfulness. [OF. joiance.]
- rigmarole n.
- A succession of confused or nonsencial statements; foolish talk; nonsense. [For ragman roll. See Ragman's roll.]
- knead v. t.
- To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; esp., to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, as the materials of bread, cake, etc.; as, to knead dough. [OE. kneden, As. cnedan; akin to D. kneden, G. kneten, Sw. kn, Icel. kno; cf. OSlav.gnesti.]
- garter n.
- A band used to prevent a stocking from slipping down on the leg. [OE. gartier, F. jarretière, fr. OF. garet bend of the knee, F. jarret; akin to Sp. garra claw, Prov. garra leg. See Garrote.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
- perforce v. t.
- To force; to compel.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Street is in the public domain. This text is taken from Faust, Part One, Project Gutenberg ebook #14591, the Bayard Taylor 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: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Street, in Faust, Part One (1870), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14591, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/goethe-faust/street.html, id L14389.
Form and metre
Street is 67 lines in 14 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 66% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 93% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.3 syllables. 14 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 8% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 AA youA · youA
- 2 AA fairA · careA
- 3 AABBCCDD-- fairA · compareA · pureB · sureB · dawnC · onC · eyesD · liesD · she · ecstasy
- 4 -AABB- confession · iA · nighA · indeedB · needB · green
- 5 AABB- rakeA · takeA · moreB · storeB · succeed
- 6 -ABBBA heed · spokenA · rightB · delightB · nightB · brokenA
- 7 AA- caseA · spaceA · occasion
- 8 AA- allA · callA · persuasion
- 9 ABBA--CC prateA · annoyanceB · joyanceB · greatA · control · rigmarole · thoughtC · taughtC
- 10 -AA-- sight · speedA · succeedA · be · strategy
- 11 AABB keepsA · sleepsA · breastB · pressedB
- 12 AABB fainA · painA · minuteB · itB
- 13 AAABB noA · goA · glowA · pleasureB · measureB
- 14 -AA- her · knowA · agoA · exit
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fair lady, let it not offend you, | 9 | ·/˘···˘/· |
| That arm and escort I would lend you! | 9 | ···˘/···· |
| I’m neither lady, neither fair, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| And home I can go without your care. | 9 | ········· |
| By Heaven, the girl is wondrous fair! | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| Of all I’ve seen, beyond compare; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| So sweetly virtuous and pure, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| And yet a little pert, be sure! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| The lip so red, the cheek’s clear dawn, | 8 | ········ |
| I’ll not forget while the world rolls on! | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| How she cast down her timid eyes, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Deep in my heart imprinted lies: | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| How short and sharp of speech was she, | 8 | ········ |
| Why, ’twas a real ecstasy! | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| She, there? She’s coming from confession, | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Of every sin absolved; for I, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| Behind her chair, was listening nigh. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| So innocent is she, indeed, | 8 | ·/˘˘··˘/ |
| That to confess she had no need. | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| I have no power o’er souls so green. | 8 | ···/···· |
| How now! You’re talking like Jack Rake, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Who every flower for himself would take, | 9 | ·/˘/·˘/·· |
| And fancies there are no favors more, | 9 | ·/˘···/˘· |
| Nor honors, save for him in store; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Yet always doesn’t the thing succeed. | 9 | ·/˘/˘··˘/ |
| Most Worthy Pedagogue, take heed! | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| Let not a word of moral law be spoken! | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| I claim, I tell thee, all my right; | 8 | ········ |
| And if that image of delight | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Rest not within mine arms to-night, | 8 | ········ |
| At midnight is our compact broken. | 9 | ·/··//˘/˘ |
| But think, the chances of the case! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I need, at least, a fortnight’s space, | 8 | ·····/·· |
| To find an opportune occasion. | 9 | ····˘/˘/˘ |
| Had I but seven hours for all, | 8 | ···//˘·· |
| I should not on the Devil call, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But win her by my own persuasion. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| You almost like a Frenchman prate; | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| Yet, pray, don’t take it as annoyance! | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Why, all at once, exhaust the joyance? | 9 | ····˘/·/˘ |
| Your bliss is by no means so great | 8 | ········ |
| As if you’d use, to get control, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| All sorts of tender rigmarole, | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| And knead and shape her to your thought, | 8 | ········ |
| As in Italian tales ’tis taught. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| But now, leave jesting out of sight! | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| I tell you, once for all, that speed | 8 | ········ |
| With this fair girl will not succeed; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| By storm she cannot captured be; | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| We must make use of strategy. | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Get me something the angel keeps! | 8 | ··/˘·/˘· |
| Lead me thither where she sleeps! | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Get me a kerchief from her breast,— | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| A garter that her knee has pressed! | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| That you may see how much I’d fain | 8 | ········ |
| Further and satisfy your pain, | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| We will no longer lose a minute; | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| I’ll find her room to-day, and take you in it. | 11 | ··········· |
| No! | 1 | · |
| Unto a neighbor she must go, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And meanwhile thou, alone, mayst glow | 8 | ·/··˘/·· |
| With every hope of future pleasure, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Breathing her atmosphere in fullest measure. | 11 | /˘·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Presents at once? That’s good: he’s certain to get at her! | 13 | ˘/·····/˘···· |
| Full many a pleasant place I know, | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| And treasures, buried long ago: | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| I must, perforce, look up the matter. [Exit. | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
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