Song of Khan Zada
Only in August my heart was aflame,Catching the scent of your Wind-stirred hair,Now, though you spread it to soften my sleepThrough the night, I should hardly care.
Only last August I drank that waterBecause it had chanced to cool your hands;When love is over, how little of loveEven the lover understands!
Oh Amber Eyes, oh Golden Eyes!Oh Eyes so softly gay!Wherein swift fancies fall and rise,Grow dark and fade away.Eyes like a little limpid poolThat holds a sunset sky,While on its surface, calm and cool,Blue water lilies lie.
Oh Tender Eyes, oh Wistful Eyes,You smiled on me one day,And all my life, in glad surprise,Leapt up and pleaded "Stay!"Alas, oh cruel, starlike eyes,So grave and yet so gay,You went to lighten other skies,Smiled once and passed away.
Oh, you whom I name "Golden Eyes,"Perhaps I used to knowYour beauty under other skiesIn lives lived long ago.Perhaps I rowed with galley slaves,Whose labour never ceased,To bring across Phoenician wavesYour treasure from the East.
Maybe you were an Emperor thenAnd I a favourite slave;Some youth, whom from the lions' denYou vainly tried to save!Maybe I reigned, a mighty King,The early nations knew,And you were some slight captive thing,Some maiden whom I slew.
Perhaps, adrift on desert shoresBeside some shipwrecked prow,I gladly gave my life for yours.Would I might give it now!Or on some sacrificial stoneStrange Gods we satisfied,Perhaps you stooped and left a throneTo kiss me ere I died.
Perhaps, still further back than this,In times ere men were men,You granted me a moment's blissIn some dark desert den,When, with your amber eyes alightWith iridescent flame,And fierce desire for love's delight,Towards my lair you came
Ah laughing, ever-brilliant eyes,These things men may not know,But something in your radiance lies,That, centuries ago,Lit up my life in one wild blazeOf infinite desireTo revel in your golden rays,Or in your light expire.
If this, oh Strange Ringed Eyes, be true,That through all changing livesThis longing love I have for youEternally survives,May I not sometimes dare to dreamIn some far time to beYour softly golden eyes may gleamResponsively on me?
Ah gentle, subtly changing eyes,You smiled on me one day,And all my life in glad surpriseLeaped up, imploring "Stay!"Alas, alas, oh Golden Eyes,So cruel and so gay,You went to shine in other skies,Smiled once and passed away.
Words in this poem
- aflame adv.
- Inflames; glowing with light or passion; ablaze. G. Eliot. [Pref. a- + flame.]
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- wistful a.
- Longing; wishful; desirous. [For wishful; perhaps influenced by wistly, which is probably corrupted from OE. wisly certainly (from Icel. viss certain, akin to E. wit). See Wish.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- phoenician a.
- Of or pertaining to Phoenica.
- maybe adv.
- Perhaps; possibly; peradventure. [For it may be.]
- adrift adv.
- Floating at random; in a drifting condition; at the mercy of wind and waves. Also fig. [Pref. a- (for on) + drift.]
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- sacrificial a.
- Of or pertaining to sacrifice or sacrifices; consisting in sacrifice; performing sacrifice.
- lair n.
- A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. laga, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See Lie to be prostrate, and cf. Layer, Leaguer.]
- eternally adv.
- In an eternal manner.
- subtly adv.
- In a subtle manner; slyly; artfully; cunningly.
- imploring a.
- That implores; beseeching; entreating.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Song of Khan Zada is in the public domain. This text is taken from India's Love Lyrics, Project Gutenberg ebook #8197; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Laurence Hope, Song of Khan Zada, in India's Love Lyrics (1901), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8197, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hope-india/song-of-khan-zada-2.html, id L22586.
Form and metre
Song of Khan Zada is 80 lines in 11 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 6 of its 11 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See 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 -A-A aflame · hairA · sleep · careA
- 2 -A-A water · handsA · love · understandsA
- 3 ABABCDCD eyesA · gayB · riseA · awayB · poolC · skyD · coolC · lieD
- 4 ABABABAB eyesA · dayB · surpriseA · stayB · eyesA · gayB · skiesA · awayB
- 5 ABABCDCD eyesA · knowB · skiesA · agoB · slavesC · ceasedD · wavesC · eastD
- 6 ABABCDCD thenA · slaveB · denA · saveB · kingC · knewD · thingC · slewD
- 7 ABABCDCD shoresA · prowB · yoursA · nowB · stoneC · satisfiedD · throneC · diedD
- 8 ABABCDCD thisA · menB · blissA · denB · alightC · flameD · delightC · cameD
- 9 ABABC-C- eyesA · knowB · liesA · agoB · blazeC · desire · raysC · expire
- 10 ABABCDCD trueA · livesB · youA · survivesB · dreamC · beD · gleamC · meD
- 11 ABABABAB eyesA · dayB · surpriseA · stayB · eyesA · gayB · skiesA · awayB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Only in August my heart was aflame, | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| Catching the scent of your Wind-stirred hair, | 9 | /˘······· |
| Now, though you spread it to soften my sleep | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Through the night, I should hardly care. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Only last August I drank that water | 10 | /˘·/˘···/˘ |
| Because it had chanced to cool your hands; | 9 | ········· |
| When love is over, how little of love | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Even the lover understands! | 8 | /˘·/˘·˘/ |
| Oh Amber Eyes, oh Golden Eyes! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Oh Eyes so softly gay! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Wherein swift fancies fall and rise, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Grow dark and fade away. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Eyes like a little limpid pool | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| That holds a sunset sky, | 6 | ···/·· |
| While on its surface, calm and cool, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Blue water lilies lie. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Oh Tender Eyes, oh Wistful Eyes, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| You smiled on me one day, | 6 | ······ |
| And all my life, in glad surprise, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Leapt up and pleaded "Stay!" | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Alas, oh cruel, starlike eyes, | 8 | ˘/·/˘/·· |
| So grave and yet so gay, | 6 | ······ |
| You went to lighten other skies, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Smiled once and passed away. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Oh, you whom I name "Golden Eyes," | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Perhaps I used to know | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Your beauty under other skies | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In lives lived long ago. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Perhaps I rowed with galley slaves, | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Whose labour never ceased, | 6 | ·/·/˘· |
| To bring across Phoenician waves | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Your treasure from the East. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Maybe you were an Emperor then | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| And I a favourite slave; | 7 | ······· |
| Some youth, whom from the lions' den | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| You vainly tried to save! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Maybe I reigned, a mighty King, | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| The early nations knew, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| And you were some slight captive thing, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Some maiden whom I slew. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Perhaps, adrift on desert shores | 8 | ˘/˘/·/˘· |
| Beside some shipwrecked prow, | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| I gladly gave my life for yours. | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Would I might give it now! | 6 | ······ |
| Or on some sacrificial stone | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Strange Gods we satisfied, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Perhaps you stooped and left a throne | 8 | ˘/······ |
| To kiss me ere I died. | 6 | ······ |
| Perhaps, still further back than this, | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| In times ere men were men, | 6 | ······ |
| You granted me a moment's bliss | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| In some dark desert den, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| When, with your amber eyes alight | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| With iridescent flame, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| And fierce desire for love's delight, | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| Towards my lair you came | 6 | ······ |
| Ah laughing, ever-brilliant eyes, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| These things men may not know, | 6 | ······ |
| But something in your radiance lies, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| That, centuries ago, | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| Lit up my life in one wild blaze | 8 | ········ |
| Of infinite desire | 7 | ·/˘˘˘/˘ |
| To revel in your golden rays, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Or in your light expire. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| If this, oh Strange Ringed Eyes, be true, | 8 | ········ |
| That through all changing lives | 6 | ···/˘· |
| This longing love I have for you | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Eternally survives, | 6 | ˘/˘˘˘/ |
| May I not sometimes dare to dream | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| In some far time to be | 6 | ······ |
| Your softly golden eyes may gleam | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Responsively on me? | 7 | ······· |
| Ah gentle, subtly changing eyes, | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| You smiled on me one day, | 6 | ······ |
| And all my life in glad surprise | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Leaped up, imploring "Stay!" | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Alas, alas, oh Golden Eyes, | 8 | ˘/˘/·/˘· |
| So cruel and so gay, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| You went to shine in other skies, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Smiled once and passed away. | 6 | ····˘/ |
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.