The Wife of Asdrubal
The sun sets brightly--but a ruddier glowO’er Afric’s heaven the flames of Carthage throw.Her walls have sunk, and pyramids of fireIn lurid splendour from her domes aspire;Sway’d by the wind, they wave--while glares the skyAs when the desert’s red simoom is nigh;The sculptured altar and the pillar’d hallShine out in dreadful brightness ere they fall;Far o’er the seas the light of ruin streams--Rock, wave, and isle are crimson’d by its beams;While captive thousands, bound in Roman chains,Gaze in mute horror on their burning fanes;And shouts of triumph, echoing far around,Swell from the victors’ tents with ivy crown’d.--But mark! from yon fair temple’s loftiest heightWhat towering form bursts wildly on the sight,All regal in magnificent attire,And sternly beauteous in terrific ire?She might be deem’d a Pythia in the hourOf dread communion and delirious power;A being more than earthly, in whose eyeThere dwells a strange and fierce ascendency.The flames are gathering round--intensely bright,Full on her features glares their meteor light;But a wild courage sits triumphant there,The stormy grandeur of a proud despair;A daring spirit, in its woes elate,Mightier than death, untameable by fate.The dark profusion of her locks unboundWaves like a warrior’s floating plumage round;Flush’d is her cheek, inspired her haughty mien--She seems the avenging goddess of the scene.Are those her infants, that with suppliant cryCling round her shrinking as the flame draws nigh,Clasp with their feeble hands her gorgeous vest,And fain would rush for shelter to her breast?Is that a mother’s glance, where stern disdain,And passion, awfully vindictive, reign?
Fix’d is her eye on Asdrubal, who standsIgnobly safe amidst the conquering bands;On him who left her to that burning tomb,Alone to share her children’s martyrdom;Who, when his country perish’d, fled the strife,And knelt to win the worthless boon of life.“Live, traitor! live!” she cries, “since dear to thee,E’en in thy fetters, can existence be!Scorn’d and dishonour’d live!--with blasted name,The Roman’s triumph not to grace, but shame.O slave in spirit! bitter be thy chainWith tenfold anguish to avenge my pain!Still may the manès of thy children riseTo chase calm slumber from thy wearied eyes;Still may their voices on the haunted airIn fearful whispers tell thee to despair,Till vain remorse thy wither’d heart consume,Scourged by relentless shadows of the tomb!E’en now my sons shall die--and thou, their sire,In bondage safe, shalt yet in them expire.Think’st thou I love them not?--’Twas thine to fly--’Tis mine with these to suffer and to die.Behold their fate!--the arms that cannot saveHave been their cradle, and shall be their grave.”
Bright in her hand the lifted dagger gleams,Swift from her children’s hearts the life-blood streams;With frantic laugh she clasps them to the breastWhose woes and passions soon shall be at rest;Lifts one appealing, frenzied glance on high,Then deep midst rolling flames is lost to mortal eye.
Words in this poem 31
- lurid a.
- Pale yellow; ghastly pale; wan; gloomy; dismal. [L. luridus.]
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
- aspire v. t.
- To aspire to; to long for; to try to reach; to mount to.
- simoom n.
- A hot, dry, suffocating, dust-laden wind, that blows occasionally in Arabia, Syria, and neighboring countries, generated by the extreme heat of the parched deserts or sandy plains. [Ar. sam, fr. samma to poison. Cf. Samiel.]
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- towering a.
- Very high; elevated; rising aloft; as, a towering height.
- sternly adv.
- In a stern manner.
- beauteous a.
- Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. --
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
- intensely adv.
- Intently. J. Spencer.
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- suppliant a.
- Asking earnestly and submissively; entreating; beseeching; supplicating. [F., p.pr. of supplier to entreat, L. supplicare. See Supplicate, and cf. Supplicant.]
- gorgeous a.
- Imposing through splendid or various colors; showy; fine; magnificent. [OF. gorgias beautiful, glorious, vain, luxurious; cf. OF. gorgias ruff, neck handkerchief, and F. gorge throat, and se pengorger to assume airs. Cf. Gorge, n.]
- vest n.
- An article of clothing covering the person; an outer garment; a vestment; a dress; a vesture; a robe. [L. vestis a garment, vesture; akin to Goth. wasti, and E. wear: cf. F. veste. See Wear to carry on the person, and cf. Divest, Invest, Travesty.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- awfully adv.
- In an awful manner; in a manner to fill with terror or awe; fearfully; reverently.
- vindictive a.
- Disposed to revenge; prompted or characterized by revenge; revengeful. [For vindicative, confused with L. vindicta revenge, punishment, fr. vindicare to vindicate. Cf. Vindicative.]
- ignobly adv.
- In an ignoble manner; basely.
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- martyrdom n.
- The condition of a martyr; the death of a martyr; the suffering of death on account of adherence to the Christian faith, or to any cause. [Martyr + -dom.]
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- blasted a.
- Blighted; withered.
- haunted a.
- Inhabited by, or subject to the visits of, apparitions; frequented by a ghost.
- relentless a.
- Unmoved by appeals for sympathy or forgiveness; insensible to the distresses of others; destitute of tenderness; unrelenting; unyielding; unpitying; as, a prey to relentless despotism.
- 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,]
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- appealing a.
- That appeals; imploring.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Wife of Asdrubal 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, The Wife of Asdrubal, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/the-wife-of-asdrubal.html, id L13490.
Form and metre
The Wife of Asdrubal is 68 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 88% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 22% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, 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 AA--BBCCDDEEFFGG--HH--IIJJKKLLMMNNOOPP glowA · throwA · fire · aspire · skyB · nighB · hallC · fallC · streamsD · beamsD · chainsE · fanesE · aroundF · crown'dF · heightG · sightG · attire · ire · hourH · powerH · eye · ascendency · brightI · lightI · thereJ · despairJ · elateK · fateK · unboundL · roundL · mienM · sceneM · cryN · nighN · vestO · breastO · disdainP · reignP
- 2 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHBB--IIJJ standsA · bandsA · tombB · martyrdomB · strifeC · lifeC · theeD · beD · nameE · shameE · chainF · painF · riseG · eyesG · airH · despairH · consumeB · tombB · sire · expire · flyI · dieI · saveJ · graveJ
- 3 AABBCC gleamsA · streamsA · breastB · restB · highC · eyeC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The sun sets brightly--but a ruddier glow | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| O’er Afric’s heaven the flames of Carthage throw. | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| Her walls have sunk, and pyramids of fire | 11 | ·····/˘˘·/˘ |
| In lurid splendour from her domes aspire; | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Sway’d by the wind, they wave--while glares the sky | 10 | ·········· |
| As when the desert’s red simoom is nigh; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The sculptured altar and the pillar’d hall | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Shine out in dreadful brightness ere they fall; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Far o’er the seas the light of ruin streams-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Rock, wave, and isle are crimson’d by its beams; | 10 | ·········· |
| While captive thousands, bound in Roman chains, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Gaze in mute horror on their burning fanes; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And shouts of triumph, echoing far around, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Swell from the victors’ tents with ivy crown’d. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| --But mark! from yon fair temple’s loftiest height | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| What towering form bursts wildly on the sight, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| All regal in magnificent attire, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘˘/˘ |
| And sternly beauteous in terrific ire? | 11 | ·/˘/˘˘·˘/˘· |
| She might be deem’d a Pythia in the hour | 10 | ·····/˘··/ |
| Of dread communion and delirious power; | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘/ |
| A being more than earthly, in whose eye | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| There dwells a strange and fierce ascendency. | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| The flames are gathering round--intensely bright, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Full on her features glares their meteor light; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| But a wild courage sits triumphant there, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| The stormy grandeur of a proud despair; | 10 | ·/˘˘/···˘/ |
| A daring spirit, in its woes elate, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Mightier than death, untameable by fate. | 10 | /˘········ |
| The dark profusion of her locks unbound | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| Waves like a warrior’s floating plumage round; | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Flush’d is her cheek, inspired her haughty mien-- | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| She seems the avenging goddess of the scene. | 11 | ···˘/˘/˘··· |
| Are those her infants, that with suppliant cry | 11 | ···/˘··/˘˘· |
| Cling round her shrinking as the flame draws nigh, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Clasp with their feeble hands her gorgeous vest, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And fain would rush for shelter to her breast? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Is that a mother’s glance, where stern disdain, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| And passion, awfully vindictive, reign? | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘· |
| Fix’d is her eye on Asdrubal, who stands | 10 | ·········· |
| Ignobly safe amidst the conquering bands; | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| On him who left her to that burning tomb, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Alone to share her children’s martyrdom; | 10 | ˘/···/˘/˘˘ |
| Who, when his country perish’d, fled the strife, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| And knelt to win the worthless boon of life. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| “Live, traitor! live!” she cries, “since dear to thee, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| E’en in thy fetters, can existence be! | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Scorn’d and dishonour’d live!--with blasted name, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The Roman’s triumph not to grace, but shame. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| O slave in spirit! bitter be thy chain | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| With tenfold anguish to avenge my pain! | 10 | ·/·/˘·˘/·· |
| Still may the manès of thy children rise | 9 | ······/˘· |
| To chase calm slumber from thy wearied eyes; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Still may their voices on the haunted air | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| In fearful whispers tell thee to despair, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Till vain remorse thy wither’d heart consume, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘·˘/ |
| Scourged by relentless shadows of the tomb! | 10 | ··˘/˘/···· |
| E’en now my sons shall die--and thou, their sire, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| In bondage safe, shalt yet in them expire. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Think’st thou I love them not?--’Twas thine to fly-- | 10 | ·········· |
| ’Tis mine with these to suffer and to die. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Behold their fate!--the arms that cannot save | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Have been their cradle, and shall be their grave.” | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Bright in her hand the lifted dagger gleams, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Swift from her children’s hearts the life-blood streams; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| With frantic laugh she clasps them to the breast | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Whose woes and passions soon shall be at rest; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Lifts one appealing, frenzied glance on high, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Then deep midst rolling flames is lost to mortal eye. | 12 | ···/˘····/˘· |
Notes from the edition 1
Notes from The Poems of Felicia Hemans (Project Gutenberg #66785), largely Mrs Hemans's own.
- Stanza 1, line 14 It was a Roman custom to adorn the tents of victors with ivy.
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