Invocation
As the tired voyager on stormy seasInvokes the coming of bright birds from shore,To waft him tidings, with the gentler breeze,Of dim, sweet woods that hear no billows roar;So, from the depth of days, when earth yet woreHer solemn beauty and primeval dew,I call you, gracious Forms! Oh, come! restoreAwhile that holy freshness, and renewLife’s morning dreams. Come with the voice, the lyre,Daughters of Judah! with the timbrel rise!Ye of the dark, prophetic, Eastern eyes,Imperial in their visionary fire;Oh! steep my soul in that old, glorious time,When God’s own whisper shook the cedars of your clime!
Words in this poem
- voyager n.
- One who voyages; one who sails or passes by sea or water. [Cf. F. voyager traveling.]
- waft v. t.
- To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- timbrel n.
- A kind of drum, tabor, or tabret, in use from the highest antiquity. [Dim. of OE. timbre, OF. timbre; probably fr. L. typmanum, Gr. tabl a drum; cf. Per. tambal a drum. See Tympanum, and cf. 2d Timbre, Tymbal.]
- 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.]
- shook v. t.
- To pack, as staves, in a shook.
- clime n.
- A climate; a tract or region of the earth. See Climate. [L. clima. See Climate.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Invocation is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Felicia Hemans, Project Gutenberg ebook #66785; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Felicia Hemans, Invocation, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/invocation-3.html, id L19740.
Form and metre
Invocation is 14 lines in a single stanza. It rhymes ABABBCBCDEEDFF. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
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 ABABBCBCDEEDFF seasA · shoreB · breezeA · roarB · woreB · dewC · restoreB · renewC · lyreD · riseE · eyesE · fireD · timeF · climeF
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 |
|---|---|---|
| As the tired voyager on stormy seas | 10 | ··//˘˘·/˘· |
| Invokes the coming of bright birds from shore, | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| To waft him tidings, with the gentler breeze, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Of dim, sweet woods that hear no billows roar; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| So, from the depth of days, when earth yet wore | 10 | ·········· |
| Her solemn beauty and primeval dew, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| I call you, gracious Forms! Oh, come! restore | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Awhile that holy freshness, and renew | 10 | ˘/·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Life’s morning dreams. Come with the voice, the lyre, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Daughters of Judah! with the timbrel rise! | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| Ye of the dark, prophetic, Eastern eyes, | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘· |
| Imperial in their visionary fire; | 10 | ˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Oh! steep my soul in that old, glorious time, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| When God’s own whisper shook the cedars of your clime! | 12 | ···/˘··/˘··· |
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.