Minoan Porcelain
Her eyes of bright unwinking glazeAll imperturbable do notEven make pretences to regardThe justing absence of her stays,Where many a Tyrian gallipotExcites desire with spilth of nard.The bistred rims above the fardOf cheeks as red as bergamotAttest that no shamefaced delaysWill clog fulfilment, nor retardFull payment of the Cyprian's praiseDown to the last remorseful jot.Hail priestess of we know not whatStrange cult of Mycenean days!
Words in this poem
- imperturbable a.
- Incapable of being disturbed or disconcerted; as, imperturbable gravity. [L. imperturbabilis; pref. im- not + perturbare to disturb: cf. F. imperturbable. See Perture.]
- tyrian a.
- Of or pertaining to Tyre or its people.
- gallipot n.
- A glazed earthen pot or vessel, used by druggists and apothecaries for containing medicines, etc. [Prob. fr. OD. gleypot, the first part of which is possibly akin to E. glad. See Glad, and Pot.]
- spilth n.
- Anything spilt, or freely poured out; slop; effusion. [From Spill.]
- nard n.
- An East Indian plant (Nardostachys Jatamansi) of the Valerian family, used from remote ages in Oriental perfumery. [AS., fr. L. nardus, Gr. nêrd, Per. nard, Scr. nalada.]
- fard n.
- Paint used on the face. [F., prob. fr. OHG. gifarit, gifarwit p.p. of farwjan to color, tinge, fr. farawa color, G. farbe.]
- bergamot n.
- The essence or perfume made from the fruit.
- attest v. t.
- To bear witness to; to certify; to affirm to be true or genuine; as, to attest the truth of a writing, a copy of record. [L. attestari; ad + testari to bear witness: cf. F. attester.]
- shamefaced a.
- Easily confused or put out of countenance; diffident; bashful; modest. [For shamefast; AS. scamf. See Shame, n., and Fast firm.]
- remorseful a.
- Full of remorse.
- priestess n.
- A woman who officiated in sacred rites among pagans. Abp.
- cult
- Attentive care; homage; worship. [F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Minoan Porcelain is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Defeat of Youth, and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #24364; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Aldous Huxley, Minoan Porcelain, in The Defeat of Youth, and Other Poems (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #24364, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/huxley-defeat-of-youth/minoan-porcelain.html, id L22025.
Form and metre
Minoan Porcelain is 14 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%).
See other poems in iambic 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 ABCABCCBACAB-A glazeA · notB · regardC · staysA · gallipotB · nardC · fardC · bergamotB · delaysA · retardC · praiseA · jotB · what · daysA
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Her eyes of bright unwinking glaze | 8 | ········ |
| All imperturbable do not | 8 | ········ |
| Even make pretences to regard | 8 | /·····˘/ |
| The justing absence of her stays, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Where many a Tyrian gallipot | 9 | ·/·/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Excites desire with spilth of nard. | 8 | ˘/˘/···· |
| The bistred rims above the fard | 8 | ··˘····· |
| Of cheeks as red as bergamot | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Attest that no shamefaced delays | 8 | ˘/··/˘˘/ |
| Will clog fulfilment, nor retard | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Full payment of the Cyprian's praise | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Down to the last remorseful jot. | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Hail priestess of we know not what | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Strange cult of Mycenean days! | 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.