The Song of the Seven Archangels
Now, Gabriel, be with my heartOn this first day of seven,He, first of the Archangels;And Thou, High King of Heaven.
Michael be mine, if Monday dawn,Michael I call upon,There is none like thee, Michael,None but Jesu, Mary's Son.
And oh if Tuesday sorrow bring,Let Raphael help it forth,One of the seven that hears us weep,Sad women of this earth.
And Uriel hear, if Wednesday wake,In his nobility,And heal our wounds and care for usAnd calm this wind-torn sea.
And Sariel, should Thursday comeWith wilder wind and seas,On Sariel I cry aloudFor that solace which is his.
For sorrow's fast on Friday,Out of my need I cryOn Rumiel, my heart's near friend,Though Heaven I know is nigh.
And Saturday, on Panchel,While this yellow world is mine,I call on him while shake the leavesAnd the yellow sun doth shine.
The Trinity protect me still--Oh blessed Trinity,And be my stay in danger's hour;Protect and prosper me.
Words in this poem
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- solace n.
- Comfort in grief; alleviation of grief or anxiety; also, that which relieves in distress; that which cheers or consoles; relief. [OF. solas, ssoulaz, L. solacium, solatium, fr. solari to comfort, console. Cf. Console, v. t.]
- saturday n.
- The seventh or last day of the week; the day following Friday and preceding Sunday. [OE. Saterday, AS. Sæterdæg, Sæterndæg, Sæternesdæg, literally, Saturn's day, fr. L. Saturnus Saturn + AS. dæg day; cf. L. dies Saturni.]
- prosper v. t.
- To favor; to render successful. [F. prospérer v. i., or L. prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Song of the Seven Archangels is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poem-Book of the Gael Translations from Irish Gaelic Poetry into English Prose and Verse, Project Gutenberg ebook #46917; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Eleanor Hull, The Song of the Seven Archangels, in The Poem-Book of the Gael (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #46917, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hull-gael/the-song-of-the-seven-archangels.html, id L11696.
Form and metre
The Song of the Seven Archangels is 32 lines in 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.0 syllables. 8 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 19% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
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 heart · sevenA · archangels · heavenA
- 6 -A-A friday · cryA · friend · nighA
- 7 -A-A panchel · mineA · leaves · shineA
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 common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Now, Gabriel, be with my heart | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| On this first day of seven, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| He, first of the Archangels; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| And Thou, High King of Heaven. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Michael be mine, if Monday dawn, | 8 | /˘···/·· |
| Michael I call upon, | 6 | /˘···· |
| There is none like thee, Michael, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| None but Jesu, Mary's Son. | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| And oh if Tuesday sorrow bring, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Let Raphael help it forth, | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| One of the seven that hears us weep, | 8 | ···/···· |
| Sad women of this earth. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And Uriel hear, if Wednesday wake, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In his nobility, | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| And heal our wounds and care for us | 8 | ··/····· |
| And calm this wind-torn sea. | 6 | ······ |
| And Sariel, should Thursday come | 7 | ····/·· |
| With wilder wind and seas, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| On Sariel I cry aloud | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| For that solace which is his. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| For sorrow's fast on Friday, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Out of my need I cry | 6 | ······ |
| On Rumiel, my heart's near friend, | 7 | ······· |
| Though Heaven I know is nigh. | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| And Saturday, on Panchel, | 7 | ·/····· |
| While this yellow world is mine, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| I call on him while shake the leaves | 8 | ········ |
| And the yellow sun doth shine. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| The Trinity protect me still-- | 8 | ·/˘˘˘/·· |
| Oh blessed Trinity, | 5 | ··/˘˘ |
| And be my stay in danger's hour; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| Protect and prosper me. | 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.