The Song of the Sword
The SwordSinging—The voice of the Sword from the heart of the SwordClanging imperiousForth from Time’s battlementsHis ancient and triumphing Song.
In the beginning,Ere God inspired HimselfInto the clay thingThumbed to His image,The vacant, the naked shellSoon to be Man:Thoughtful He pondered it,Prone there and impotent,Fragile, invitingAttack and discomfiture;Then, with a smile—As He heard in the ThunderThat laughed over EdenThe voice of the Trumpet,The iron Beneficence,Calling his doomsTo the Winds of the world—Stooping, He drewOn the sand with His fingerA shape for a signOf his way to the eyesThat in wonder should waken,For a proof of His willTo the breaking intelligence.That was the birth of me:I am the Sword.
Bleak and lean, grey and cruel,Short-hilted, long shafted,I froze into steel;And the blood of my elder,His hand on the hafts of me,Sprang like a waveIn the wind, as the senseOf his strength grew to ecstasy;Glowed like a coalIn the throat of the furnace;As he knew me and named meThe War-Thing, the Comrade,Father of honourAnd giver of kingship,The fame-smith, the song-master,Bringer of womenOn fire at his handsFor the pride of fulfilment,Priest (saith the Lord)Of his marriage with victoryHo! then, the Trumpet,Handmaid of heroes,Calling the peersTo the place of espousals!Ho! then, the splendourAnd glare of my ministry,Clothing the earthWith a livery of lightnings!Ho! then, the musicOf battles in onset,And ruining armours,And God’s gift returningIn fury to God!Thrilling and keenAs the song of the winter stars,Ho! then, the soundOf my voice, the implacableAngel of Destiny!—I am the Sword.
Heroes, my children,Follow, O, follow me!Follow, exultingIn the great light that breaksFrom the sacred Companionship!Thrust through the fatuous,Thrust through the fungous brood,Spawned in my shadowAnd gross with my gift!Thrust through, and hearkenO, hark, to the Trumpet,The Virgin of Battles,Calling, still calling youInto the Presence,Sons of the Judgment,Pure wafts of the Will!Edged to annihilate,Hilted with government,Follow, O, follow me,Till the waste placesAll the grey globe overOoze, as the honeycombDrips, with the sweetnessDistilled of my strength,And, teeming in peaceThrough the wrath of my coming,They give back in beautyThe dread and the anguishThey had of me visitant!Follow, O follow, then,Heroes, my harvesters!Where the tall grain is ripeThrust in your sickles!Stripped and adustIn a stubble of empire,Scything and bindingThe full sheaves of sovranty:Shall you fulfil yourselves!Show yourselves sons of mine—Yea, and win grace of me:I am the Sword!
I am the feast-maker:Hark, through a noiseOf the screaming of eagles,Hark how the Trumpet,The mistress of mistresses,Calls, silver-throatedAnd stern, where the tablesAre spread, and the mealOf the Lord is in hand!Driving the darkness,Even as the bannersAnd spears of the Morning;Sifting the nations,The slag from the metal,The waste and the weakFrom the fit and the strong;Fighting the brute,The abysmal Fecundity;Checking the gross,Multitudinous blunders,The groping, the purblindExcesses in serviceOf the Womb universal,The absolute drudge;Firing the charactryCarved on the World,The miraculous gemIn the seal-ring that burnsOn the hand of the Master—Yea! and authorityFlames through the dim,Unappeasable GrislinessProne down the nethermostChasms of the Void!—Clear singing, clean slicing;Sweet spoken, soft finishing;Making death beautiful,Life but a coinTo be staked in the pastimeWhose playing is moreThan the transfer of being;Arch-anarch, chief builder,Prince and evangelist,I am the Will of God:I am the Sword.
The SwordSinging—The voice of the Sword from the heart of the SwordClanging majestical,As from the starry-stairedCourts of the primal Supremacy,His high, irresistible song.
Words in this poem 37
- imperious a.
- Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic. [L. imperiosus: cf. F. impérieux. See Imperial.]
- triumphing a.
- Having or celebrating a triumph; victorious; triumphant.
- inviting a.
- Alluring; tempting; as, an inviting amusement or prospect.
- discomfiture n.
- The act of discomfiting, or the state of being discomfited; rout; overthrow; defeat; frustration; confusion and dejection. [OF. desconfiture, F. déconfiture. See Discomfort, v. t., and cf. Comfiture.]
- 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.]
- beneficence n.
- The practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and goodness. [L. beneficentia, fr. beneficus: cf. F. bénéficence. See Benefice.]
- waken v. i.
- To wake; to cease to sleep; to be awakened. [OE. waknen, AS. wæcnan; akin to Goth. gawaknan. See Wake, v. i.]
- hilted a.
- Having a hilt; -- used in composition; as, basket-hilted, cross-hilted.
- shafted a.
- Furnished with a shaft, or with shafts; as, a shafted arch.
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- giver n.
- One who gives; a donor; a bestower; a grantor; one who imparts or distributes.
- kingship n.
- The state, office, or dignity of a king; royalty. Landor.
- bringer n.
- One who brings.
- saith
- 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
- handmaid n.
- A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.
- splendour n.
- Great brightness; brilliant luster; brilliancy; as, the splendor ot the sun. B. Jonson. [L. fr. splendere to shine: cf. F. splendeur.]
- glare v. i.
- To shine with a bright, dazzling light. [OE. glaren, gloren; cf. AS. glær amber, LG. glaren to glow or burn like coals, D. gloren to glimmer; prob. akin to E. glass.]
- thrilling a.
- Causing a thrill; causing tremulous excitement; deeply moving; as, a thrilling romance.
- exulting a.
- Rejoicing triumphantly or exceedingly; exultant.
- fatuous a.
- Feeble in mind; weak; silly; stupid; foolish; fatuitous. Glanvill. [L. fatuus.]
- fungous a.
- Of the nature of fungi; spongy. [L. fungosus: cf. F. fungueux.]
- annihilate v. t.
- To reduce to nothing or nonexistence; to destroy the existence of; to cause to cease to be. [L. annihilare; ad + nihilum, nihil, nothing, ne hilum (filum) not a thread, nothing at all. Cf. File, a row.]
- teeming a.
- Prolific; productive.
- visitant n.
- One who visits; a guest; a visitor. [L. visitans, -antis; p. pr.: cf. F. visitant.]
- adust a.
- Inflamed or scorched; fiery. [L. adustus, p. p. of adurere: cf. F. aduste.]
- 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,]
- screaming a.
- Uttering screams; shrieking.
- abysmal a.
- Pertaining to, or resembling, an abyss; bottomless; unending; profound.
- fecundity n.
- The quality or power of producing fruit; fruitfulness; especially (Biol.), the quality in female organisms of reproducing rapidly and in great numbers. [L. fecunditas: cf. F. fécondité. See Fecund.]
- multitudinous a.
- Consisting of a multitude; manifold in number or condition; as, multitudinous waves.
- womb n.
- The belly; the abdomen. [OE. wombe, wambe, AS. wamb, womb; akin to D. wam belly, OS. & OHG. wamba, G. wamme, wampe, Icel. vömb, Sw. v&mb, Dan. vom, Goth. wamba.]
- grisliness n.
- The quality or state of being grisly; horrid. Sir P. Sidney.
- nethermost a.
- Lowest; as, the nethermost abyss. [AS. ni(Nether, and cf. Aftermost.]
- pastime n.
- That which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably; sport; amusement; diversion. [Pass + time: cf. F. passetemps.]
- evangelist n.
- A bringer of the glad tidings of Church and his doctrines.
- majestical a.
- Majestic. Cowley.
- primal a.
- First; primary; original; chief. [LL. primalis, fr. L. primus the first. See Prime, a.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Song of the Sword 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, The Song of the Sword, in Poems (1898), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1568, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/henley-poems/the-song-of-the-sword.html, id L12351.
Form and metre
The Song of the Sword is 164 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is dactylic dimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 86% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.8 syllables. 84 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 41% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in dactylic dimeter.
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 ABA--B swordA · singingB · swordA · imperious · battlements · songB
- 2 A-A----------------B-B---- beginningA · himself · thingA · image · shell · man · it · impotent · inviting · discomfiture · smile · thunder · eden · trumpet · beneficence · dooms · world · drew · finger · signB · eyes · wakenB · will · intelligence · me · sword
- 3 A-A------------------------------------ cruelA · shafted · steelA · elder · me · wave · sense · ecstasy · coal · furnace · me · comrade · honour · kingship · master · women · hands · fulfilment · lord · victory · trumpet · heroes · peers · espousals · splendour · ministry · earth · lightnings · music · onset · armours · returning · god · keen · stars · sound · implacable · destiny · sword
- 4 ----------------------A-A-----------B--B- children · me · exulting · breaks · companionship · fatuous · brood · shadow · gift · hearken · trumpet · battles · you · presence · judgment · will · annihilate · government · me · places · over · honeycomb · sweetnessA · strength · peaceA · coming · beauty · anguish · visitant · then · harvesters · ripe · sickles · adust · empire · binding · sovrantyB · yourselves · mine · meB · sword
- 5 -A--A------B---B--C--C----------------------- maker · noiseA · eagles · trumpet · mistressesA · throated · tables · meal · hand · darkness · banners · morningB · nations · metal · weak · strongB · brute · fecundity · grossC · blunders · purblind · serviceC · universal · drudge · charactry · world · gem · burns · master · authority · dim · grisliness · nethermost · void · slicing · finishing · beautiful · coin · pastime · more · being · builder · evangelist · god · sword
- 6 A-A---- swordA · singing · swordA · majestical · staired · supremacy · song
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 dactylic dimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| The Sword | 2 | ·· |
| Singing— | 2 | /˘ |
| The voice of the Sword from the heart of the Sword | 11 | ··········· |
| Clanging imperious | 6 | /˘˘/˘˘ |
| Forth from Time’s battlements | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| His ancient and triumphing Song. | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| In the beginning, | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| Ere God inspired Himself | 8 | ··˘/˘˘˘/ |
| Into the clay thing | 5 | ····· |
| Thumbed to His image, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| The vacant, the naked shell | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| Soon to be Man: | 4 | ···· |
| Thoughtful He pondered it, | 7 | /˘·/˘˘· |
| Prone there and impotent, | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Fragile, inviting | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| Attack and discomfiture; | 7 | ˘/·˘/˘˘ |
| Then, with a smile— | 4 | ···· |
| As He heard in the Thunder | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| That laughed over Eden | 7 | ··˘··/˘ |
| The voice of the Trumpet, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The iron Beneficence, | 7 | ·/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Calling his dooms | 4 | /˘·· |
| To the Winds of the world— | 6 | ······ |
| Stooping, He drew | 4 | /˘·· |
| On the sand with His finger | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| A shape for a sign | 5 | ····· |
| Of his way to the eyes | 6 | ······ |
| That in wonder should waken, | 7 | ··/˘·/˘ |
| For a proof of His will | 6 | ······ |
| To the breaking intelligence. | 8 | ··/˘˘/˘˘ |
| That was the birth of me: | 6 | ······ |
| I am the Sword. | 4 | ···· |
| Bleak and lean, grey and cruel, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Short-hilted, long shafted, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| I froze into steel; | 5 | ····· |
| And the blood of my elder, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| His hand on the hafts of me, | 7 | ······· |
| Sprang like a wave | 4 | ···· |
| In the wind, as the sense | 6 | ······ |
| Of his strength grew to ecstasy; | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Glowed like a coal | 4 | ···· |
| In the throat of the furnace; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| As he knew me and named me | 8 | ······˘· |
| The War-Thing, the Comrade, | 6 | ····/· |
| Father of honour | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| And giver of kingship, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| The fame-smith, the song-master, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Bringer of women | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| On fire at his hands | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| For the pride of fulfilment, | 7 | ······· |
| Priest (saith the Lord) | 4 | ···· |
| Of his marriage with victory | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| Ho! then, the Trumpet, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Handmaid of heroes, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Calling the peers | 4 | /˘·· |
| To the place of espousals! | 7 | ······· |
| Ho! then, the splendour | 5 | ···/˘ |
| And glare of my ministry, | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Clothing the earth | 4 | /˘·· |
| With a livery of lightnings! | 8 | ··/˘˘·/˘ |
| Ho! then, the music | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Of battles in onset, | 6 | ·/˘·/· |
| And ruining armours, | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| And God’s gift returning | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| In fury to God! | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Thrilling and keen | 4 | /˘·· |
| As the song of the winter stars, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Ho! then, the sound | 4 | ···· |
| Of my voice, the implacable | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| Angel of Destiny!— | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| I am the Sword. | 4 | ···· |
| Heroes, my children, | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| Follow, O, follow me! | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Follow, exulting | 5 | /˘˘/˘ |
| In the great light that breaks | 6 | ······ |
| From the sacred Companionship! | 8 | ··/˘˘/˘· |
| Thrust through the fatuous, | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Thrust through the fungous brood, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Spawned in my shadow | 5 | ···/· |
| And gross with my gift! | 5 | ····· |
| Thrust through, and hearken | 5 | ···/˘ |
| O, hark, to the Trumpet, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The Virgin of Battles, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Calling, still calling you | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Into the Presence, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Sons of the Judgment, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Pure wafts of the Will! | 5 | ····· |
| Edged to annihilate, | 7 | ·˘·˘/˘· |
| Hilted with government, | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| Follow, O, follow me, | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Till the waste places | 5 | ···/˘ |
| All the grey globe over | 6 | ······ |
| Ooze, as the honeycomb | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Drips, with the sweetness | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Distilled of my strength, | 5 | ˘/··· |
| And, teeming in peace | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Through the wrath of my coming, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| They give back in beauty | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The dread and the anguish | 6 | ····/˘ |
| They had of me visitant! | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Follow, O follow, then, | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Heroes, my harvesters! | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| Where the tall grain is ripe | 6 | ······ |
| Thrust in your sickles! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Stripped and adust | 4 | ··˘/ |
| In a stubble of empire, | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| Scything and binding | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| The full sheaves of sovranty: | 7 | ······· |
| Shall you fulfil yourselves! | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Show yourselves sons of mine— | 6 | ·˘/··· |
| Yea, and win grace of me: | 6 | ······ |
| I am the Sword! | 4 | ···· |
| I am the feast-maker: | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Hark, through a noise | 4 | ···· |
| Of the screaming of eagles, | 7 | ··/˘·/˘ |
| Hark how the Trumpet, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| The mistress of mistresses, | 7 | ·/˘·/˘˘ |
| Calls, silver-throated | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| And stern, where the tables | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Are spread, and the meal | 5 | ····· |
| Of the Lord is in hand! | 6 | ······ |
| Driving the darkness, | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| Even as the banners | 6 | /˘··/˘ |
| And spears of the Morning; | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Sifting the nations, | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| The slag from the metal, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The waste and the weak | 5 | ····· |
| From the fit and the strong; | 6 | ······ |
| Fighting the brute, | 4 | /˘·· |
| The abysmal Fecundity; | 8 | ·˘/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Checking the gross, | 4 | /˘·· |
| Multitudinous blunders, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The groping, the purblind | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Excesses in service | 6 | ˘/˘·/˘ |
| Of the Womb universal, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| The absolute drudge; | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Firing the charactry | 6 | /˘···· |
| Carved on the World, | 4 | ···· |
| The miraculous gem | 6 | ·˘/˘˘· |
| In the seal-ring that burns | 6 | ······ |
| On the hand of the Master— | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Yea! and authority | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| Flames through the dim, | 4 | ···· |
| Unappeasable Grisliness | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Prone down the nethermost | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Chasms of the Void!— | 5 | /˘··· |
| Clear singing, clean slicing; | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Sweet spoken, soft finishing; | 7 | ·/˘·/˘˘ |
| Making death beautiful, | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| Life but a coin | 4 | ···· |
| To be staked in the pastime | 8 | ···˘··/· |
| Whose playing is more | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Than the transfer of being; | 7 | ··˘/·/˘ |
| Arch-anarch, chief builder, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Prince and evangelist, | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| I am the Will of God: | 6 | ······ |
| I am the Sword. | 4 | ···· |
| The Sword | 2 | ·· |
| Singing— | 2 | /˘ |
| The voice of the Sword from the heart of the Sword | 11 | ··········· |
| Clanging majestical, | 6 | /˘˘/˘˘ |
| As from the starry-staired | 7 | ···/˘·˘ |
| Courts of the primal Supremacy, | 9 | ···/˘˘/˘˘ |
| His high, irresistible song. | 8 | ···˘/˘˘· |
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