The Lovers' Colloquy
One little moment to indulge the sightWith the rich beauty of the summer's night.The harp is hushed, and, see, the torch is dim,--Night and ourselves together. To the brimThe cup of our felicity is filled.Each sound is mute, each harsh sensation stilled.Dost thou not think that, e'en while nature sleeps,Some power its amorous vigils o'er us keeps?No cloud in heaven; while all around repose,Come taste with me the fragrance of the rose,Which loads the night-air with its musky breath,While everything is still as nature's death.E'en as you spoke--and gentle words were thoseSpoken by you,--the silver moon uprose;How that mysterious union of her ray,With your impassioned accents, made its wayStraight to my heart! I could have wished to dieIn that pale moonlight, and while thou wert by.
HERNANI. Thy words are music, and thy strain of loveIs borrowed from the choir of heaven above.
DONNA SOL. Night is too silent, darkness too profoundOh, for a star to shine, a voice to sound--To raise some sudden note of music nowSuited to night.
HERN. Capricious girl! your vowWas poured for silence, and to be releasedFrom the thronged tumult of the marriage feast.
DONNA SOL. Yes; but one bird to carol in the field,--A nightingale, in mossy shade concealed,--A distant flute,--for music's stream can rollTo soothe the heart, and harmonize the soul,--O! 'twould be bliss to listen.
Words in this poem
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- impassioned p. p.
- Actuated or characterized by passion or zeal; showing warmth of feeling; ardent; animated; excited; as, an impassioned orator or discourse.
- hernani n.
- A thin silk or woolen goods, for women's dresses, woven in various styles and colors.
- donna n.
- A lady; madam; mistress; -- the title given a lady in Italy. [It. donna, L. domina. See Don, Dame.]
- hern n.
- A heron; esp., the common European heron.
- carol v. t.
- To praise or celebrate in song.
- soothe v. t.
- To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Lovers' Colloquy 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 Lovers' Colloquy, in Poems (1888), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8775, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hugo-poems/the-lovers-colloquy.html, id L26878.
Form and metre
The Lovers' Colloquy is 32 lines in 5 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 88% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
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 AABBCCDDEEFFEEGGHH sightA · nightA · dimB · brimB · filledC · stilledC · sleepsD · keepsD · reposeE · roseE · breathF · deathF · thoseE · uproseE · rayG · wayG · dieH · byH
- 2 AA loveA · aboveA
- 3 AA-- profoundA · soundA · now · night
- 4 -AA vow · releasedA · feastA
- 5 AABB- fieldA · concealedA · rollB · soulB · listen
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 |
|---|---|---|
| One little moment to indulge the sight | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| With the rich beauty of the summer's night. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The harp is hushed, and, see, the torch is dim,-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Night and ourselves together. To the brim | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| The cup of our felicity is filled. | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| Each sound is mute, each harsh sensation stilled. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Dost thou not think that, e'en while nature sleeps, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Some power its amorous vigils o'er us keeps? | 10 | ·/·/˘/˘··· |
| No cloud in heaven; while all around repose, | 10 | ···/····˘/ |
| Come taste with me the fragrance of the rose, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which loads the night-air with its musky breath, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| While everything is still as nature's death. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| E'en as you spoke--and gentle words were those | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Spoken by you,--the silver moon uprose; | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| How that mysterious union of her ray, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| With your impassioned accents, made its way | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Straight to my heart! I could have wished to die | 10 | ·········· |
| In that pale moonlight, and while thou wert by. | 10 | ···/······ |
| HERNANI. Thy words are music, and thy strain of love | 13 | ˘/˘···/˘····· |
| Is borrowed from the choir of heaven above. | 10 | ·/···/·/·· |
| DONNA SOL. Night is too silent, darkness too profound | 13 | /˘····/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Oh, for a star to shine, a voice to sound-- | 10 | ·········· |
| To raise some sudden note of music now | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Suited to night. | 4 | /˘·· |
| HERN. Capricious girl! your vow | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| Was poured for silence, and to be released | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| From the thronged tumult of the marriage feast. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| DONNA SOL. Yes; but one bird to carol in the field,-- | 13 | /˘······/˘··· |
| A nightingale, in mossy shade concealed,-- | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘·˘/ |
| A distant flute,--for music's stream can roll | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| To soothe the heart, and harmonize the soul,-- | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| O! 'twould be bliss to listen. | 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.