723. To the Genius of His House
Command the roof, great Genius, and from thenceInto this house pour down thy influence,That through each room a golden pipe may runOf living water by thy benison.Fulfill the larders, and with strengthening breadBe evermore these bins replenished.Next, like a bishop consecrate my ground,That lucky fairies here may dance their round;And after that, lay down some silver penceThe master's charge and care to recompense.Charm then the chambers, make the beds for ease,More than for peevish, pining sicknesses.Fix the foundation fast, and let the roofGrow old with time but yet keep weather-proof.
Words in this poem
- benison n.
- Blessing; beatitude; benediction. [OE. beneysun, benesoun, OF. beneï, beneïson, fr. L. benedictio, fr. benedicere to bless; bene (adv. of bonus good) + dicere to say. See Bounty, and Diction, and]
- fulfill v. t.
- To fill up; to make full or complete. [OE. fulfillen, fulfullen, AS. fulfyllan; ful full + fyllan to fill. See Full, a., and Fill, v. t.]
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
723. To the Genius of His House 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, 723. To the Genius of His House, in Hesperides (1648), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22421, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/herrick-hesperides/723-to-the-genius-of-his-house.html, id L05668.
Form and metre
723. To the Genius of His House is 14 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 71% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% 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----BBAACCDD thenceA · influenceA · run · benison · bread · replenished · groundB · roundB · penceA · recompenseA · easeC · sicknessesC · roofD · proofD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Command the roof, great Genius, and from thence | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| Into this house pour down thy influence, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| That through each room a golden pipe may run | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of living water by thy benison. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| Fulfill the larders, and with strengthening bread | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Be evermore these bins replenished. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘˘ |
| Next, like a bishop consecrate my ground, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| That lucky fairies here may dance their round; | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And after that, lay down some silver pence | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The master's charge and care to recompense. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Charm then the chambers, make the beds for ease, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| More than for peevish, pining sicknesses. | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Fix the foundation fast, and let the roof | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Grow old with time but yet keep weather-proof. | 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.