The Beacon in the Storm
Hark to that solemn sound!It steals towards the strand.--Whose is that voice profoundWhich mourns the swallowed land,With moans,Or groans,New threats of ruin close at hand?It is Triton--the storm to scornWho doth wind his sonorous horn.
How thick the rain to-night!And all along the coastThe sky shows naught of lightIs it a storm, my host?Too soonThe boonOf pleasant weather will be lostYes, 'tis Triton, etc.
Are seamen on that speckAfar in deepening dark?Is that a splitting deckOf some ill-fated bark?Fend harm!Send calm!O Venus! show thy starry spark!Though 'tis Triton, etc.
The thousand-toothèd gale,--Adventurers too bold!--Rips up your toughest sailAnd tears your anchor-hold.You forgeThrough surge,To be in rending breakers rolled.While old Triton, etc.
Do sailors stare this way,Cramped on the Needle's sheaf,To hail the sudden rayWhich promises relief?Then, bright;Shine, light!Of hope upon the beacon reef!Though 'tis Triton, etc.
Words in this poem
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- fend v. t.
- To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows. [Abbrev. fr. defend.]
- starry a.
- Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Beacon in the Storm is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #8775, the various hands translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Victor Hugo, The Beacon in the Storm, in Poems (1888), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8775, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hugo-poems/the-beacon-in-the-storm.html, id L26773.
Form and metre
The Beacon in the Storm is 41 lines in 5 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
See 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 ABABCCBDD soundA · strandB · profoundA · landB · moansC · groansC · handB · scornD · hornD
- 2 ABABCC-- nightA · coastB · lightA · hostB · soonC · boonC · lost · etc
- 3 ABAB--B- speckA · darkB · deckA · barkB · harm · calm · sparkB · etc
- 4 ABAB--B- galeA · boldB · sailA · holdB · forge · surge · rolledB · etc
- 5 ABABCCB- wayA · sheafB · rayA · reliefB · brightC · lightC · reefB · etc
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hark to that solemn sound! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| It steals towards the strand.-- | 6 | ······ |
| Whose is that voice profound | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Which mourns the swallowed land, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| With moans, | 2 | ·· |
| Or groans, | 2 | ·· |
| New threats of ruin close at hand? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| It is Triton--the storm to scorn | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Who doth wind his sonorous horn. | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| How thick the rain to-night! | 6 | ······ |
| And all along the coast | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| The sky shows naught of light | 6 | ······ |
| Is it a storm, my host? | 6 | ······ |
| Too soon | 2 | ·· |
| The boon | 2 | ·· |
| Of pleasant weather will be lost | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Yes, 'tis Triton, etc. | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| Are seamen on that speck | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Afar in deepening dark? | 7 | ˘/·/˘˘· |
| Is that a splitting deck | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Of some ill-fated bark? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Fend harm! | 2 | ·· |
| Send calm! | 2 | ·· |
| O Venus! show thy starry spark! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Though 'tis Triton, etc. | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| The thousand-toothèd gale,-- | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Adventurers too bold!-- | 6 | ˘/˘˘·· |
| Rips up your toughest sail | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And tears your anchor-hold. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| You forge | 2 | ·· |
| Through surge, | 2 | ·· |
| To be in rending breakers rolled. | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| While old Triton, etc. | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| Do sailors stare this way, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Cramped on the Needle's sheaf, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| To hail the sudden ray | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Which promises relief? | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| Then, bright; | 2 | ·· |
| Shine, light! | 2 | ·· |
| Of hope upon the beacon reef! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Though 'tis Triton, etc. | 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.