The Soul's Desire
It were my soul's desireTo see the face of God;It were my soul's desireTo rest in His abode.
It were my soul's desireTo study zealously;This, too, my soul's desire,A clear rule set for me.
It were my soul's desireA spirit free from gloom;It were my soul's desireNew life beyond the Doom.
It were my soul's desireTo shun the chills of hell;Yet more my soul's desireWithin His house to dwell.
It were my soul's desireTo imitate my King,It were my soul's desireHis ceaseless praise to sing.
It were my soul's desireWhen heaven's gate is wonTo find my soul's desireClear shining like the sun.
Grant, Lord, my soul's desire,Deep waves of cleansing sighs;Grant, Lord, my soul's desireFrom earthly cares to rise.
This still my soul's desireWhatever life afford,--To gain my soul's desireAnd see Thy face, O Lord.
Words in this poem
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- ceaseless a.
- Without pause or end; incessant.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Soul's Desire 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 Soul's Desire, in The Poem-Book of the Gael (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #46917, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hull-gael/the-soul-s-desire.html, id L11702.
Form and metre
The Soul's Desire is 32 lines in 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 6 of its 8 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 95%). 99% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.5 syllables. 17 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 47% 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- desireA · god · desireA · abode
- 2 A-A- desireA · zealously · desireA · me
- 3 ABAB desireA · gloomB · desireA · doomB
- 4 ABAB desireA · hellB · desireA · dwellB
- 5 ABAB desireA · kingB · desireA · singB
- 6 ABAB desireA · wonB · desireA · sunB
- 7 ABAB desireA · sighsB · desireA · riseB
- 8 ABAB desireA · affordB · desireA · lordB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| To see the face of God; | 6 | ······ |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| To rest in His abode. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| To study zealously; | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| This, too, my soul's desire, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| A clear rule set for me. | 6 | ······ |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| A spirit free from gloom; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| New life beyond the Doom. | 6 | ······ |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| To shun the chills of hell; | 6 | ······ |
| Yet more my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Within His house to dwell. | 6 | ······ |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| To imitate my King, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| His ceaseless praise to sing. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| It were my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| When heaven's gate is won | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| To find my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Clear shining like the sun. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Grant, Lord, my soul's desire, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Deep waves of cleansing sighs; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Grant, Lord, my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| From earthly cares to rise. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| This still my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Whatever life afford,-- | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| To gain my soul's desire | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| And see Thy face, O Lord. | 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.