870. The Sacrifice, by Way of Discourse Betwixt Himself and Julia
Herr. Come and let's in solemn wiseBoth address to sacrifice:Old religion first commandsThat we wash our hearts, and hands.Is the beast exempt from stain,Altar clean, no fire profane?Are the garlands, is the nardReady here?
Jul. All well prepar'd,With the wine that must be shed,'Twixt the horns, upon the headOf the holy beast we bringFor our trespass-offering.
Herr. All is well; now next to thesePut we on pure surplices;And with chaplets crown'd, we'll roastWith perfumes the holocaust:And, while we the gods invoke,Read acceptance by the smoke.
Words in this poem
- herr n.
- A title of respect given to gentlemen in Germany, equivalent to the English Mister.
- nard n.
- An East Indian plant (Nardostachys Jatamansi) of the Valerian family, used from remote ages in Oriental perfumery. [AS., fr. L. nardus, Gr. nêrd, Per. nard, Scr. nalada.]
- holocaust n.
- A burnt sacrifice; an offering, the whole of which was consumed by fire, among the Jews and some pagan nations. [L. holocaustum, Gr. "o'los whole + kaysto`s burnt, fr. kai`ein to burn (cf. Caustic): cf. F. holocauste.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
870. The Sacrifice, by Way of Discourse Betwixt Himself and Julia 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, 870. The Sacrifice, by Way of Discourse Betwixt Himself and Julia, in Hesperides (1648), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22421, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/herrick-hesperides/870-the-sacrifice-by-way-of-discourse-betwixt-himself-and-ju.html, id L05797.
Form and metre
870. The Sacrifice, by Way of Discourse Betwixt Himself and Julia is 19 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 53% of the lines. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 37% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in trochaic 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 --AABB-- wise · sacrifice · commandsA · handsA · stainB · profaneB · nard · here
- 2 -AABB prepar'd · shedA · headA · bringB · offeringB
- 3 ----AA these · surplices · roast · holocaust · invokeA · smokeA
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 trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Herr. Come and let's in solemn wise | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Both address to sacrifice: | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| Old religion first commands | 7 | ·˘/˘·˘/ |
| That we wash our hearts, and hands. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Is the beast exempt from stain, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Altar clean, no fire profane? | 8 | /˘··/˘˘/ |
| Are the garlands, is the nard | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Ready here? | 3 | /˘· |
| Jul. All well prepar'd, | 5 | ···˘/ |
| With the wine that must be shed, | 7 | ······· |
| 'Twixt the horns, upon the head | 7 | ······· |
| Of the holy beast we bring | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| For our trespass-offering. | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Herr. All is well; now next to these | 8 | ········ |
| Put we on pure surplices; | 7 | ······· |
| And with chaplets crown'd, we'll roast | 7 | ······· |
| With perfumes the holocaust: | 7 | ·˘/·/˘· |
| And, while we the gods invoke, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Read acceptance by the smoke. | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
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.