Laurel · Felicia Hemans · Poems

Woman on the Field of Battle

Felicia Hemans (1793–1835) · 1808–1835

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 63 lines · from Poems

“Where hath not woman stoodStrong in affection’s might? a reed, upborneBy an o’ermastering current!”

Gentle and lovely form!What didst thou here,When the fierce battle-stormBore down the spear?

Banner and shiver’d crest,Beside thee strown,Tell that amidst the bestThy work was done!

Yet strangely, sadly fair,O’er the wild scene,Gleams, through its golden hair,That brow serene.

Low lies the stately head,--Earth-bound the free;How gave those haughty deadA place to thee?

Slumberer! thine early bierFriends should have crown’d,Many a flower and tearShedding around;--

Soft voices, clear and young,Mingling their swell,Should o’er thy dust have sungEarth’s last farewell;--

Sisters, above the graveOf thy repose,Should have bid violets waveWith the white rose.

Now must the trumpet’s note,Savage and shrill,For requiem o’er thee float,Thou fair and still!

And the swift charger sweepIn full career,Trampling thy place of sleep--Why cam’st thou here?

Why? Ask the true heart whyWoman hath beenEver where brave men die,Unshrinking seen?

Unto this harvest groundProud reapers came,--Some, for that stirring sound,A warrior’s name;

Some for the stormy playAnd joy of strife;And some to fling awayA weary life;--

But thou, pale sleeper! thouWith the slight frame,And the rich locks, whose glowDeath cannot tame;

Only one thought, one power,Thee could have led,So, through the tempest’s hour,To lift thy head!

Only the true, the strong,The love, whose trustWoman’s deep soul too longPours on the dust!

Words in this poem

didst: , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
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]
strangely adv.: As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
sadly adv.: Wearily; heavily; firmly.
haughty a.: High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
slumberer n.: One who slumbers; a sleeper.
bier n.: A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
requiem n.: A mass said or sung for the repose of a departed soul. [Acc. of L. requies rest, the first words of the Mass being "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine," give eternal rest to them, O lord; pref. re- re + quies quiet. S]
charger n.: One who, or that which charges.
career n.: A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
strife n.: The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
sleeper n.: One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Woman on the Field of Battle 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, Woman on the Field of Battle, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/woman-on-the-field-of-battle.html, id L19494.

Form and metre

Woman on the Field of Battle is 63 lines in 16 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 12 of its 16 stanzas. 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.

2 ABAB form^A · here^B · storm^A · spear^B
3 A-A- crest^A · strown · best^A · done
4 ABAB fair^A · scene^B · hair^A · serene^B
5 ABAB head^A · free^B · dead^A · thee^B
6 ABAB bier^A · crown'd^B · tear^A · around^B
7 ABAB young^A · swell^B · sung^A · farewell^B
8 ABAB grave^A · repose^B · wave^A · rose^B
9 ABAB note^A · shrill^B · float^A · still^B
10 ABAB sweep^A · career^B · sleep^A · here^B
11 A-A- why^A · been · die^A · seen
12 ABAB ground^A · came^B · sound^A · name^B
13 ABAB play^A · strife^B · away^A · life^B
14 -A-A thou · frame^A · glow · tame^A
15 ABAB power^A · led^B · hour^A · head^B
16 ABAB strong^A · trust^B · long^A · dust^B

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
“Where hath not woman stood	6	···/˘·
Strong in affection’s might? a reed, upborne	10	··˘/˘·····
By an o’ermastering current!”	8	······/˘
Gentle and lovely form!	6	/˘·/˘·
What didst thou here,	4	····
When the fierce battle-storm	6	···/˘·
Bore down the spear?	4	····
Banner and shiver’d crest,	6	/˘·/˘·
Beside thee strown,	4	˘/··
Tell that amidst the best	6	··˘/··
Thy work was done!	4	····
Yet strangely, sadly fair,	6	·/˘/˘·
O’er the wild scene,	4	····
Gleams, through its golden hair,	6	···/˘·
That brow serene.	4	··˘/
Low lies the stately head,--	6	···/˘·
Earth-bound the free;	4	····
How gave those haughty dead	6	···/˘·
A place to thee?	4	····
Slumberer! thine early bier	7	/˘˘·/˘·
Friends should have crown’d,	4	····
Many a flower and tear	7	/˘·/˘··
Shedding around;--	4	/˘··
Soft voices, clear and young,	6	·/˘···
Mingling their swell,	5	/˘˘··
Should o’er thy dust have sung	6	······
Earth’s last farewell;--	4	···/
Sisters, above the grave	6	/˘····
Of thy repose,	4	··˘/
Should have bid violets wave	7	···/˘˘·
With the white rose.	4	····
Now must the trumpet’s note,	6	···/˘·
Savage and shrill,	4	/˘··
For requiem o’er thee float,	7	·/˘˘···
Thou fair and still!	4	····
And the swift charger sweep	6	···/˘·
In full career,	4	··˘/
Trampling thy place of sleep--	6	/˘····
Why cam’st thou here?	4	····
Why? Ask the true heart why	6	······
Woman hath been	4	/˘··
Ever where brave men die,	6	/˘····
Unshrinking seen?	4	····
Unto this harvest ground	6	···/˘·
Proud reapers came,--	4	·/˘·
Some, for that stirring sound,	6	···/˘·
A warrior’s name;	5	·/˘˘·
Some for the stormy play	6	···/˘·
And joy of strife;	4	····
And some to fling away	6	····˘/
A weary life;--	4	·/˘·
But thou, pale sleeper! thou	6	···/˘·
With the slight frame,	4	····
And the rich locks, whose glow	6	······
Death cannot tame;	4	·/˘·
Only one thought, one power,	7	/˘···/˘
Thee could have led,	4	····
So, through the tempest’s hour,	7	···/˘/˘
To lift thy head!	4	····
Only the true, the strong,	6	/˘····
The love, whose trust	4	····
Woman’s deep soul too long	6	/˘····
Pours on the dust!	4	····

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