Let Her Depart
Her home is far, oh! far away!The clear light in her eyesHath naught to do with earthly day--’Tis kindled from the skies.Let her depart!
She looks upon the things of earth,Even as some gentle starSeems gazing down on grief or mirth,How softly, yet how far!Let her depart!
Her spirit’s hope--her bosom’s love--Oh! could they mount and fly!She never sees a wandering dove,But for its wings to sigh.Let her depart!
She never hears a soft wind bearLow music on its way,But deems it sent from heavenly airFor her who cannot stay.Let her depart!
Wrapt in a cloud of glorious dreams,She breathes and moves alone,Pining for those bright bowers and streamsWhere her beloved is gone.Let her depart!
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- 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.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Let Her Depart 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, Let Her Depart, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/let-her-depart.html, id L19699.
Form and metre
Let Her Depart is 25 lines in 5 stanzas of 5 lines each. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
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 ABAB- awayA · eyesB · dayA · skiesB · depart
- 2 ABAB- earthA · starB · mirthA · farB · depart
- 3 ABAB- loveA · flyB · doveA · sighB · depart
- 4 ABAB- bearA · wayB · airA · stayB · depart
- 5 A-A-- dreamsA · alone · streamsA · gone · depart
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Her home is far, oh! far away! | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The clear light in her eyes | 6 | ······ |
| Hath naught to do with earthly day-- | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| ’Tis kindled from the skies. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Let her depart! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| She looks upon the things of earth, | 8 | ········ |
| Even as some gentle star | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Seems gazing down on grief or mirth, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| How softly, yet how far! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Let her depart! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Her spirit’s hope--her bosom’s love-- | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Oh! could they mount and fly! | 6 | ······ |
| She never sees a wandering dove, | 9 | ·/˘··/˘˘· |
| But for its wings to sigh. | 6 | ······ |
| Let her depart! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| She never hears a soft wind bear | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Low music on its way, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But deems it sent from heavenly air | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| For her who cannot stay. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Let her depart! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Wrapt in a cloud of glorious dreams, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| She breathes and moves alone, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Pining for those bright bowers and streams | 9 | /˘···/˘·· |
| Where her beloved is gone. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Let her depart! | 4 | ··˘/ |
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.