Spring winds that blow

W. E. Henley (1849–1903) · 1898

iambic pentameter · 76 lines · from Poems

SPRING winds that blowAs over leagues of myrtle-blooms and may;Bevies of spring clouds trooping slow,Like matrons heavy bosomed and aglowWith the mild and placid pride of increase! Nay,What makes this insolent and comely streamOf appetence, this freshet of desire(Milk from the wild breasts of the wilful Day!),Down Piccadilly dance and murmur and gleamIn genial wave on wave and gyre on gyre?Why does that nymph unparalleled splash and churnThe wealth of her enchanted urnTill, over-billowing all betweenHer cheerful margents, grey and living green,It floats and wanders, glittering and fleeing,An estuary of the joy of being?Why should the lovely leafage of the ParkTouch to an ecstasy the act of seeing?—Sure, sure my paramour, my Bride of Brides,Lingering and flushed, mysteriously abidesIn some dim, eye-proof angle of odorous dark,Some smiling nook of green-and-golden shade,In the divine conviction robed and crownedThe globe fulfils his immemorial roundBut as the marrying-place of all things made!

There is no man, this deifying day,But feels the primal blessing in his blood.There is no woman but disdains—The sacred impulse of the MayBrightening like sex made sunshine through her veins—To vail the ensigns of her womanhood.None but, rejoicing, flaunts them as she goes,Bounteous in looks of her delicious best,On her inviolable quest:These with their hopes, with their sweet secrets those,But all desirable and frankly fair,As each were keeping some most prosperous tryst,And in the knowledge went imparadised!For look! a magical influence everywhere,Look how the liberal and transfiguring airWashes this inn of memorable meetings,This centre of ravishments and gracious greetings,Till, through its jocund loveliness of lengthA tidal-race of lust from shore to shore,A brimming reach of beauty met with strength,It shines and sounds like some miraculous dream,Some vision multitudinous and agleam,Of happiness as it shall be evermore!

Praise God for givingThrough this His messenger among the daysHis word the life He gave is thrice-worth living!For Pan, the bountiful, imperious Pan—Not dead, not dead, as impotent dreamers feigned,But the gay genius of a million MaysRenewing his beneficent endeavour!—Still reigns and triumphs, as he hath triumphed and reignedSince in the dim blue dawn of timeThe universal ebb-and-flow began,To sound his ancient music, and prevails,By the persuasion of his mighty rhyme,Here in this radiant and immortal streetLavishly and omnipotently as everIn the open hills, the undissembling dales,The laughing-places of the juvenile earth.For lo! the wills of man and woman meet,Meet and are moved, each unto each endeared,As once in Eden’s prodigal bowers befell,To share his shameless, elemental mirthIn one great act of faith: while deep and strong,Incomparably nerved and cheered,The enormous heart of London joys to beatTo the measures of his rough, majestic song;The lewd, perennial, overmastering spellThat keeps the rolling universe ensphered,And life, and all for which life lives to long,Wanton and wondrous and for ever well.

Words in this poem 41

bosomed a.: Having, or resembling, bosom; kept in the bosom; hidden.
aglow adv.: In a glow; glowing; as, cheeks aglow; the landscape all aglow. [Pref. a- + glow.]
placid a.: Pleased; contented; unruffied; undisturbed; serene; peaceful; tranquil; quiet; gentle. [L. placidus, originally, pleasing, mild, from placere to please: cf. F. placide. See Please.]
appetence n.: A longing; a desire; especially an ardent desire; appetite; appetency. [Cf. F. appétence. See Appetency.]
freshet n.: A stream of fresh water. [OE. fresche flood + -et. See Fresh, a.]
piccadilly n.: A high, stiff collar for the neck; also, a hem or band about the skirt of a garment, -- worn by men in the 17th century. [OF. piccagilles the several divisions of pieces fastened together about the brim of the collar of a doublet, a dim. fr. Sp. picado, p.p. of picar to prick. See ]
genial a.: Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive. [L. genialis: cf. OF. genial. See Genius.]
gyre v. t.: To turn round; to gyrate. Bp. Hall. Drayton. [Cf. OF. gyrer, girer. See Gyrate.]
churn n.: A vessel in which milk or cream is stirred, beaten, or otherwise agitated (as by a plunging or revolving dasher) in order to separete the oily globules from the other parts, and obtain butter. [OE. chirne, cherne, AS. ceren, cyrin; akin to D. karn, Dan. kierne. See Churn, v. t.]
wealth n.: Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
enchanted a.: Under the power of enchantment; possessed or exercised by enchanters; as, an enchanted castle.
leafage n.: Leaves, collectively; foliage.
mysteriously adv.: In a mysterious manner.
nook n.: A narrow place formed by an angle in bodies or between bodies; a corner; a recess; a secluded retreat. [OE. nok; cf. Gael. & Ir. niuc.]
immemorial a.: Extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition; indefinitely ancient; as, existing from time immemorial. [Pref. im- not + memorial: cf. F. immémorial.]
primal a.: First; primary; original; chief. [LL. primalis, fr. L. primus the first. See Prime, a.]
sunshine n.: The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
vail n.: Avails; profit; return; proceeds. [Aphetic form of avail, n.]
bounteous a.: Liberal in charity; disposed to give freely; generously liberal; munificent; beneficent; free in bestowing gifts; as, bounteous production. [OE. bountevous, fr. bounte bounty.]
frankly adv.: In a frank manner; freely.
tryst v. i.: To mutually agree to meet at a certain place.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
memorable a.: Worthy to be remembered; very important or remarkable. [L. memorabilis, fr. memorare to bring to remembrance, fr. memor mindful, remembering. See Memory, and cf. Memorabilia.]
centre v. i.: To be placed in a center; to be central.
jocund: Merry; cheerful; gay; airy; lively; sportive. [L. jocundus, jucundus, orig., helpful, fr. juvare to help. See Aid.]
loveliness n.: The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
lust v. i.: To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
brimming a.: Full to the brim; overflowing.
multitudinous a.: Consisting of a multitude; manifold in number or condition; as, multitudinous waves.
agleam adv.: Gleaming; as, faces agleam. Lowell. [Pref. a- + gleam.]
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,]
evermore adv.: During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
bountiful a.: Free in giving; liberal in bestowing gifts and favors.
imperious a.: Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic. [L. imperiosus: cf. F. impérieux. See Imperial.]
endeavour v. t.: To exert physical or intellectual strength for the attainment of; to use efforts to effect; to strive to achieve or reach; to try; to attempt. [OE. endevor; pref. en- + dever, devoir, duty, F. devoir: cf. F. se mettre en devoir de faire quelque chose to try to do a thing, to go about it. See Devoir, Deb]
lavishly adv.: In a lavish manner.
omnipotently adv.: In an omnipotent manner.
juvenile a.: Young; youthful; as, a juvenile appearance. [L. juvenilis, from juvenis young; akin to E. young: cf. F. juvénile, juvénil. See Young.]
eden n.: The garden where Adam and Eve first dwelt; hence, a delightful region or residence. [Heb. eden delight, pleasure; also, a place of pleasure, Eden.]
lewd a.: Not clerical; laic; laical; hence, unlearned; simple. [OE.lewed, lewd, lay, ignorant, vile, AS. l laical, belonging to the laity.]
wondrous adv.: In a wonderful or surprising manner or degree; wonderfully. [OE. wonders, adv. (later also adj.). See Wonder, n., and cf. -wards.]

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

About this text

Spring winds that blow is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #1568; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: W. E. Henley, Spring winds that blow, in Poems (1898), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1568, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/henley-poems/spring-winds-that-blow.html, id L12435.

Form and metre

Spring winds that blow is 76 lines in 3 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.8 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 33% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

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 ABAABC-BC-DDEEFFGFHHGIJJI blow^A · may^B · slow^A · aglow^A · nay^B · stream^C · desire · day^B · gleam^C · gyre · churn^D · urn^D · between^E · green^E · fleeing^F · being^F · park^G · seeing^F · brides^H · abides^H · dark^G · shade^I · crowned^J · round^J · made^I
2 ABCACBDEEDF--FFGGHIHJJI day^A · blood^B · disdains^C · may^A · veins^C · womanhood^B · goes^D · best^E · quest^E · those^D · fair^F · tryst · imparadised · everywhere^F · air^F · meetings^G · greetings^G · length^H · shore^I · strength^H · dream^J · agleam^J · evermore^I
3 ABACDBEDFCGFHEGIHJKILJHLK-LK giving^A · days^B · living^A · pan^C · feigned^D · mays^B · endeavour^E · reigned^D · time^F · began^C · prevails^G · rhyme^F · street^H · ever^E · dales^G · earth^I · meet^H · endeared^J · befell^K · mirth^I · strong^L · cheered^J · beat^H · song^L · spell^K · ensphered · long^L · well^K

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
SPRING winds that blow	4	····
As over leagues of myrtle-blooms and may;	10	·····/˘···
Bevies of spring clouds trooping slow,	8	/˘···/˘·
Like matrons heavy bosomed and aglow	10	·/˘/˘/˘·˘/
With the mild and placid pride of increase! Nay,	11	····/˘··/··
What makes this insolent and comely stream	10	···/˘˘·/˘·
Of appetence, this freshet of desire	11	·/˘˘·/˘·˘/˘
(Milk from the wild breasts of the wilful Day!),	10	··········
Down Piccadilly dance and murmur and gleam	11	·/˘·˘··/˘··
In genial wave on wave and gyre on gyre?	10	·/˘·······
Why does that nymph unparalleled splash and churn	11	····˘/˘····
The wealth of her enchanted urn	8	····˘/˘·
Till, over-billowing all between	9	···/˘˘···
Her cheerful margents, grey and living green,	10	·/˘····/˘·
It floats and wanders, glittering and fleeing,	11	···/˘/˘˘·/˘
An estuary of the joy of being?	11	·/˘·˘····/˘
Why should the lovely leafage of the Park	10	···/˘/˘···
Touch to an ecstasy the act of seeing?	11	···/˘˘···/˘
—Sure, sure my paramour, my Bride of Brides,	10	···/˘˘····
Lingering and flushed, mysteriously abides	10	/˘···/˘˘˘/
In some dim, eye-proof angle of odorous dark,	11	·····/˘·/˘·
Some smiling nook of green-and-golden shade,	10	·/˘····/˘·
In the divine conviction robed and crowned	10	··˘/˘/˘···
The globe fulfils his immemorial round	10	······˘/˘·
But as the marrying-place of all things made!	10	···/˘·····
There is no man, this deifying day,	10	·····/˘·˘·
But feels the primal blessing in his blood.	10	···/˘/˘···
There is no woman but disdains—	8	···/˘·˘/
The sacred impulse of the May	9	·/˘˘˘/···
Brightening like sex made sunshine through her veins—	10	/˘···/····
To vail the ensigns of her womanhood.	10	···/˘··/˘·
None but, rejoicing, flaunts them as she goes,	10	··˘/˘·····
Bounteous in looks of her delicious best,	11	/˘˘····˘/˘·
On her inviolable quest:	8	··˘/˘˘˘·
These with their hopes, with their sweet secrets those,	10	·······/˘·
But all desirable and frankly fair,	10	··˘/˘˘·/˘·
As each were keeping some most prosperous tryst,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And in the knowledge went imparadised!	10	···/˘·····
For look! a magical influence everywhere,	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
Look how the liberal and transfiguring air	11	···/˘······
Washes this inn of memorable meetings,	11	/˘···/˘˘˘/˘
This centre of ravishments and gracious greetings,	12	·/˘·····/˘/˘
Till, through its jocund loveliness of length	10	···/˘/˘˘··
A tidal-race of lust from shore to shore,	10	·/˘·······
A brimming reach of beauty met with strength,	10	·/˘··/˘···
It shines and sounds like some miraculous dream,	10	······˘/˘·
Some vision multitudinous and agleam,	11	·/˘······˘/
Of happiness as it shall be evermore!	10	·/˘····/˘·
Praise God for giving	5	···/˘
Through this His messenger among the days	10	···/˘˘····
His word the life He gave is thrice-worth living!	11	·········/˘
For Pan, the bountiful, imperious Pan—	10	···/˘˘/˘˘·
Not dead, not dead, as impotent dreamers feigned,	10	·····/˘/˘·
But the gay genius of a million Mays	10	···/˘··/˘·
Renewing his beneficent endeavour!—	11	˘/˘··˘/˘˘/˘
Still reigns and triumphs, as he hath triumphed and reigned	12	···/˘···/˘··
Since in the dim blue dawn of time	8	········
The universal ebb-and-flow began,	10	··˘/˘···˘/
To sound his ancient music, and prevails,	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
By the persuasion of his mighty rhyme,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Here in this radiant and immortal street	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Lavishly and omnipotently as ever	10	/˘·˘/˘˘˘·/
In the open hills, the undissembling dales,	11	··/˘·······
The laughing-places of the juvenile earth.	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
For lo! the wills of man and woman meet,	10	·······/˘·
Meet and are moved, each unto each endeared,	10	········˘/
As once in Eden’s prodigal bowers befell,	10	···/˘/˘/˘/
To share his shameless, elemental mirth	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
In one great act of faith: while deep and strong,	10	··········
Incomparably nerved and cheered,	10	˘/˘˘˘·˘··˘
The enormous heart of London joys to beat	11	·˘/˘··/˘···
To the measures of his rough, majestic song;	11	··/˘···˘/˘·
The lewd, perennial, overmastering spell	11	··˘/˘······
That keeps the rolling universe ensphered,	10	···/˘/˘···
And life, and all for which life lives to long,	10	··········
Wanton and wondrous and for ever well.	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·

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.

More by W. E. Henley

Poems