The Morrow of Grandeur
Sire, beware, the future's rangeIs of God alone the power,Naught below but augurs change,E'en with ev'ry passing hour.Future! mighty mystery!All the earthly goods that be,Fortune, glory, war's renown,King or kaiser's sparkling crown,Victory! with her burning wings,Proud ambition's covetings,--These may our grasp no more detainThan the free bird who doth alightUpon our roof, and takes its flightHigh into air again.
Nor smile, nor tear, nor haughtiest lord's command,Avails t' unclasp the cold and closèd hand.Thy voice to disenthrall,Dumb phantom, shadow ever at our side!Veiled spectre, journeying with us stride for stride,Whom men "To-morrow" call.
Oh, to-morrow! who may dareIts realities to scan?God to-morrow brings to bearWhat to-day is sown by man.'Tis the lightning in its shroud,'Tis the star-concealing cloud,Traitor, 'tis his purpose showing,Engine, lofty tow'rs o'erthrowing,Wand'ring star, its region changing,"Lady of kingdoms," ever ranging.To-morrow! 'Tis the rude displayOf the throne's framework, blank and cold,That, rich with velvet, bright with gold,Dazzles the eye to-day.
To-morrow! 'tis the foaming war-horse falling;To-morrow! thy victorious march appalling,'Tis the red fires from Moscow's tow'rs that wave;'Tis thine Old Guard strewing the Belgian plain;'Tis the lone island in th' Atlantic main:To-morrow! 'tis the grave!
Into capitals subduedThou mayst ride with gallant rein,Cut the knots of civil feudWith the trenchant steel in twain;With thine edicts barricadeHaughty Thames' o'er-freighted trade;Fickle Victory's self enthrall,Captive to thy trumpet call;Burst the stoutest gates asunder;Leave the names of brightest wonder,Pale and dim, behind thee far;And to exhaustless armies yieldThy glancing spur,--o'er Europe's fieldA glory-guiding star.
God guards duration, if lends space to thee,Thou mayst o'er-range mundane immensity,Rise high as human head can rise sublime,Snatch Europe from the stamp of Charlemagne,Asia from Mahomet; but never gainPower o'er the Morrow from the Lord of Time!
Words in this poem 20
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
- unclasp v. t.
- To loose the clasp of; to open, as something that is fastened, or as with, a clasp; as, to unclasp a book; to unclasp one's heart. [1st pref. un- + clasp.]
- disenthrall v. t.
- To release from thralldom or slavery; to give freedom to; to disinthrall. [See Enthrall.]
- veiled a.
- Covered by, or as by, a veil; hidden.
- spectre n.
- Something preternaturally visible; an apparition; a ghost; a phantom. [F. spectre, fr. L. spectrum an appearance, image, specter, fr. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Spectrum.]
- stride v. t.
- To walk with long steps, especially in a measured or pompous manner. [AS. stridan to stride, to strive; akin to LG. striden, OFries. strida to strive, D. strijden to strive, to contend, G. streiten, OHG. stritan; of uncertain orig]
- scan v. t.
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
- appalling a.
- Such as to appall; as, an appalling accident.
- strewing n.
- The act of scattering or spreading.
- belgian a.
- Of or pertaining to Belgium.
- lone n.
- A lane. See Loanin.
- trenchant a.
- Fitted to trench or cut; gutting; sharp. [OF. trenchant, F. tranchant, p. pr. See Trench, v. t.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- enthrall v. t.
- To hold in thrall; to enslave. See Inthrall. [Pref. en- + thrall. Cf. Inthrall.]
- exhaustless a.
- Not be exhausted; inexhaustible; as, an exhaustless fund or store.
- glancing a.
- Shooting, as light.
- mundane a.
- Of or pertaining to the world; worldly; earthly; terrestrial; as, the mundane sphere. [L. mundanus, fr. mundus the world, an implement, toilet adornments, or dress; cf. mundus, a., clean, neat, Skr. mansds to adorn, dress, mansdsa adornment. Cf. M]
- immensity n.
- The state or quality of being immense; inlimited or immeasurable extension; infinity; vastness in extent or bulk; greatness. [L. immensitas: cf. F. immensité.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Morrow of Grandeur 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 Morrow of Grandeur, in Poems (1888), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #8775, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hugo-poems/the-morrow-of-grandeur.html, id L26751.
Form and metre
The Morrow of Grandeur is 60 lines in 6 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABABCCDDEEFGGF, complete in 3 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%).
See 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 ABABCCDDEEFGGF rangeA · powerB · changeA · hourB · mysteryC · beC · renownD · crownD · wingsE · covetingsE · detainF · alightG · flightG · againF
- 2 AABCCB commandA · handA · disenthrallB · sideC · strideC · callB
- 3 ABABCCDDEEFGGF dareA · scanB · bearA · manB · shroudC · cloudC · showingD · o'erthrowingD · changingE · rangingE · displayF · coldG · goldG · dayF
- 4 --ABBA falling · appalling · waveA · plainB · mainB · graveA
- 5 ABABCCDDEEFGGF subduedA · reinB · feudA · twainB · barricadeC · tradeC · enthrallD · callD · asunderE · wonderE · farF · yieldG · fieldG · starF
- 6 --ABBA thee · immensity · sublimeA · charlemagneB · gainB · timeA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sire, beware, the future's range | 8 | /˘˘/·/˘· |
| Is of God alone the power, | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| Naught below but augurs change, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| E'en with ev'ry passing hour. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Future! mighty mystery! | 7 | /˘/˘/˘˘ |
| All the earthly goods that be, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Fortune, glory, war's renown, | 7 | /˘/˘·˘/ |
| King or kaiser's sparkling crown, | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Victory! with her burning wings, | 8 | /˘˘··/˘· |
| Proud ambition's covetings,-- | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| These may our grasp no more detain | 9 | ··/˘···˘/ |
| Than the free bird who doth alight | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Upon our roof, and takes its flight | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| High into air again. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Nor smile, nor tear, nor haughtiest lord's command, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Avails t' unclasp the cold and closèd hand. | 10 | ˘/·˘/····· |
| Thy voice to disenthrall, | 6 | ······ |
| Dumb phantom, shadow ever at our side! | 10 | ·/˘/·/·/˘· |
| Veiled spectre, journeying with us stride for stride, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Whom men "To-morrow" call. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Oh, to-morrow! who may dare | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Its realities to scan? | 7 | ·˘/˘˘·· |
| God to-morrow brings to bear | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| What to-day is sown by man. | 7 | ······· |
| 'Tis the lightning in its shroud, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| 'Tis the star-concealing cloud, | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| Traitor, 'tis his purpose showing, | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| Engine, lofty tow'rs o'erthrowing, | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| Wand'ring star, its region changing, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| "Lady of kingdoms," ever ranging. | 9 | /˘·/˘/˘/˘ |
| To-morrow! 'Tis the rude display | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Of the throne's framework, blank and cold, | 8 | ···/···· |
| That, rich with velvet, bright with gold, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Dazzles the eye to-day. | 6 | /˘···· |
| To-morrow! 'tis the foaming war-horse falling; | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| To-morrow! thy victorious march appalling, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| 'Tis the red fires from Moscow's tow'rs that wave; | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| 'Tis thine Old Guard strewing the Belgian plain; | 10 | ····/˘·/˘· |
| 'Tis the lone island in th' Atlantic main: | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| To-morrow! 'tis the grave! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Into capitals subdued | 7 | ··/˘˘˘/ |
| Thou mayst ride with gallant rein, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Cut the knots of civil feud | 7 | ····/˘· |
| With the trenchant steel in twain; | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| With thine edicts barricade | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| Haughty Thames' o'er-freighted trade; | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Fickle Victory's self enthrall, | 8 | /˘/˘˘·˘/ |
| Captive to thy trumpet call; | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Burst the stoutest gates asunder; | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Leave the names of brightest wonder, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Pale and dim, behind thee far; | 7 | ······· |
| And to exhaustless armies yield | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Thy glancing spur,--o'er Europe's field | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| A glory-guiding star. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| God guards duration, if lends space to thee, | 10 | ··//˘····· |
| Thou mayst o'er-range mundane immensity, | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Rise high as human head can rise sublime, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Snatch Europe from the stamp of Charlemagne, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Asia from Mahomet; but never gain | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Power o'er the Morrow from the Lord of Time! | 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.