Homeward Bound XLVI
'Tis time that, more sober and serious grown,From folly at last I break free.I, who so long in comedian's gown,Have played in the play with thee.
The scenes gaily painted were bright to behold,And in ultra-romantic tints shone.My knightly, rich mantle was spangled with gold;Noblest feelings were ever mine own.
But now with grave trouble my thoughts are beset,Although from the stage I depart;And my heart is as wretchedly miserable yet,As though I still acted my part.
Ah God! all unwitting and wholly in jest,What I felt and I suffered I told.I have fought against Death who abode in my breastLike the dying wrestler of old.
Words in this poem
- gaily adv.
- Merrily; showily. See gaily. [From Gay.]
- knightly a.
- Of or pertaining to a knight; becoming a knight; chivalrous; as, a knightly combat; a knightly spirit. [AS. cnihtlic boyish.]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- wretchedly adv.
- In a wretched manner; miserably; despicable.
- unwitting a.
- Not knowing; unconscious; ignorant.
- jest n.
- A deed; an action; a gest. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perfor]
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- wrestler n.
- One who wrestles; one who is skillful in wrestling. [AS. wræstlere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Homeward Bound XLVI is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems and Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #31726, the Emma Lazarus 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: Heinrich Heine, Homeward Bound XLVI, in Poems and Ballads (1881), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #31726, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/heine-poems-ballads/homeward-bound-xlvi.html, id L15371.
Form and metre
Homeward Bound XLVI is 16 lines in 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 3 of its 4 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.4 syllables. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in anapaestic common measure.
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 -A-A grown · freeA · gown · theeA
- 2 ABAB beholdA · shoneB · goldA · ownB
- 3 ABAB besetA · departB · yetA · partB
- 4 ABAB jestA · toldB · breastA · oldB
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 anapaestic common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| 'Tis time that, more sober and serious grown, | 10 | ····/˘·/˘· |
| From folly at last I break free. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| I, who so long in comedian's gown, | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| Have played in the play with thee. | 8 | ··˘····· |
| The scenes gaily painted were bright to behold, | 11 | ··/˘/˘···˘/ |
| And in ultra-romantic tints shone. | 9 | ··/˘˘/˘·· |
| My knightly, rich mantle was spangled with gold; | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
| Noblest feelings were ever mine own. | 8 | /˘/˘·/·· |
| But now with grave trouble my thoughts are beset, | 11 | ····/˘···˘/ |
| Although from the stage I depart; | 8 | ······˘/ |
| And my heart is as wretchedly miserable yet, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| As though I still acted my part. | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Ah God! all unwitting and wholly in jest, | 11 | ···˘/˘·/˘·· |
| What I felt and I suffered I told. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| I have fought against Death who abode in my breast | 12 | ·······˘/··· |
| Like the dying wrestler of old. | 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.