182. The Captiv'd Bee, or the Little Filcher
As Julia once a-slumbering layIt chanced a bee did fly that way,After a dew or dew-like shower,To tipple freely in a flower.For some rich flower he took the lipOf Julia, and began to sip;But when he felt he sucked from thenceHoney, and in the quintessence,He drank so much he scarce could stir,So Julia took the pilferer.And thus surprised, as filchers use,He thus began himself t' excuse:Sweet lady-flower, I never broughtHither the least one thieving thought;But, taking those rare lips of yoursFor some fresh, fragrant, luscious flowers,I thought I might there take a taste,Where so much syrup ran at waste.Besides, know this: I never stingThe flower that gives me nourishing;But with a kiss, or thanks, do payFor honey that I bear away.This said, he laid his little scripOf honey 'fore her ladyship:And told her, as some tears did fall,That that he took, and that was all.At which she smiled, and bade him goAnd take his bag; but thus much know:When next he came a-pilfering so,He should from her full lips deriveHoney enough to fill his hive.
Words in this poem
- quintessence n.
- The fifth or last and highest essence or power in a natural body. [F., fr. L. quinta essentia fifth essence. See Quint, and Essence.]
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- pilferer n.
- One who pilfers; a petty thief.
- luscious a.
- Sweet; delicious; very grateful to the taste; toothsome; excessively sweet or rich. [Prob. for lustious, fr. lusty, or perh. a corruption of luxurious. Cf. Lush, Lusty.]
- syrup n.
- A thick and viscid liquid made from the juice of fruits, herbs, etc., boiled with sugar. [F. sirop (cf. It. siroppo, Sp. jarabe, jarope, LL. siruppus, syrupus), fr. Ar. sharab a drink, wine, coffee, sirup. Cf. Sherbet.]
- scrip n.
- A small bag; a wallet; a satchel. [OE. scrippe, probably of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. & OSw. skreppa, and also LL. scrippum, OF. esquerpe, escrepe, F. écharpe scarf. Cf. Scarp, Scarf a piece of dr]
- ladyship n.
- The rank or position of a lady; -- given as a title (preceded by her or your.) Your ladyship shall observe their gravity. B. Jonson.
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- pilfering a.
- Thieving in a small way.
- derive v. t.
- To turn the course of, as water; to divert and distribute into subordinate channels; to diffuse; to communicate; to transmit; -- followed by to, into, on, upon. [F. dériver, L. derivare; de- + rivus stream, brook. See Rival.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
182. The Captiv'd Bee, or the Little Filcher is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Hesperides & Noble Numbers: Vol. 1 and 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #22421; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Robert Herrick, 182. The Captiv'd Bee, or the Little Filcher, in Hesperides (1648), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22421, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/herrick-hesperides/182-the-captiv-d-bee-or-the-little-filcher.html, id L05232.
Form and metre
182. The Captiv'd Bee, or the Little Filcher is 31 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 77% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.4 syllables. 7 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 32% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 AABBCCDD--EEFF--GGHHIIJJKKLLLMM layA · wayA · showerB · flowerB · lipC · sipC · thenceD · quintessenceD · stir · pilferer · useE · excuseE · broughtF · thoughtF · yours · flowers · tasteG · wasteG · stingH · nourishingH · payI · awayI · scripJ · ladyshipJ · fallK · allK · goL · knowL · soL · deriveM · hiveM
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| As Julia once a-slumbering lay | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| It chanced a bee did fly that way, | 9 | ··˘······ |
| After a dew or dew-like shower, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| To tipple freely in a flower. | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| For some rich flower he took the lip | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Of Julia, and began to sip; | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| But when he felt he sucked from thence | 9 | ······˘·· |
| Honey, and in the quintessence, | 8 | /˘···˘/˘ |
| He drank so much he scarce could stir, | 8 | ········ |
| So Julia took the pilferer. | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And thus surprised, as filchers use, | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| He thus began himself t' excuse: | 9 | ··˘/˘/·˘/ |
| Sweet lady-flower, I never brought | 9 | ·/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Hither the least one thieving thought; | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| But, taking those rare lips of yours | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For some fresh, fragrant, luscious flowers, | 9 | ···/˘/˘/˘ |
| I thought I might there take a taste, | 8 | ········ |
| Where so much syrup ran at waste. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Besides, know this: I never sting | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| The flower that gives me nourishing; | 9 | ·/˘···/˘˘ |
| But with a kiss, or thanks, do pay | 8 | ········ |
| For honey that I bear away. | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| This said, he laid his little scrip | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Of honey 'fore her ladyship: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| And told her, as some tears did fall, | 8 | ········ |
| That that he took, and that was all. | 8 | ········ |
| At which she smiled, and bade him go | 9 | ····˘···· |
| And take his bag; but thus much know: | 8 | ········ |
| When next he came a-pilfering so, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| He should from her full lips derive | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Honey enough to fill his hive. | 8 | /˘˘/···· |
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.