In Falmouth Harbour
The large, calm harbour lies belowLong, terraced lines of circling light:Without, the deep sea currents flow:And here are stars, and night.
No sight, no sound, no living stir,But such as perfect the still bay:So hushed it is, the voyagerShrinks at the thought of day.
We glide by many a lanterned mast;Our mournful horns blow wild to warnYon looming pier: the sailors castTheir ropes, and watch for morn.
Strange murmurs from the sleeping town,And sudden creak of lonely oarsCrossing the water, travel downThe roadstead, the dim shores.
A charm is on the silent bay;Charms of the sea, charms of the land.Memories of open wind conveyPeace to this harbour strand.
Far off, Saint David's crags descendOn seas of desolate storm: and farFrom this pure rest, the Land's drear End,And ruining waters, are.
Well was it worth to have each hourOf high and perilous blowing wind:For here, for now, deep peace hath powerTo conquer the worn mind.
I have passed over the rough sea,And over the white harbour bar:And this is Death's dreamland to me,Led hither by a star.
And what shall dawn be? Hush thee, nay!Soft, soft is night, and calm and still:Save that day cometh, what of dayKnowest thou: good, or ill?
Content thee! Not the annulling lightOf any pitiless dawn is here;Thou art alone with ancient night:And all the stars are clear.
Only the night air, and the dream;Only the far, sweet-smelling wave;The stilly sounds, the circling gleam,And thine: and thine a grave.
Hence, by stern thoughts and strong winds borne,Voyaged, with faith that could not fail,Who cried: Lead, kindly Light! forlornBeneath a stranger sail.
Becalmed upon a classic sea;Wandering through eternal Rome;Fighting with Death in Sicily:He hungered for his home.
These northern waves, these island airs!Dreams of these haunted his full heart:Their love inspired his songs and prayers,Bidding him play his part.
The freedom of the living dead;The service of a living pain:He chose between them, bowed his head,And counted sorrow, gain.
Ah, sweetest soul of all! whose choiceWas golden with the light of lights:But us doubt's melancholy voice,Wandering in gloom, unites.
Ah, sweetest soul of all! whose voiceHailed morning, and the sun's increase:We of the restless night rejoice,We also, at thy peace.
Words in this poem
- harbour n.
- A station for rest and entertainment; a place of security and comfort; a refuge; a shelter. [OE herbor, herberwe, herberge, Icel. herbergi (cf. OHG. heriberga), orig., a shelter for soldiers; herr army + bjarga to save, help, defend; akin to AS. here ar]
- voyager n.
- One who voyages; one who sails or passes by sea or water. [Cf. F. voyager traveling.]
- looming n.
- The indistinct and magnified appearance of objects seen in particular states of the atmosphere. See Mirage.
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- creak v. i.
- To make a prolonged sharp grating or ssqueaking sound, as by the friction of hard substances; as, shoes creak. [OE. creken, prob. of imitative origin; cf. E. crack, and. D. kreiken to crackle, chirp.]
- roadstead n.
- An anchorage off shore. Same as Road, 4. [Road,4 + stead a place.]
- drear n.
- Sadness; dismalness.
- dreamland n.
- An unreal, delightful country such as in sometimes pictured in dreams; region of fancies; fairyland.
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- stilly a.
- Still; quiet; calm.
- forlorn a.
- Deserted abandoned; lost. [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlor]
- classic a.
- Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. clas]
- hungered a.
- Hungry; pinched for food.
- haunted a.
- Inhabited by, or subject to the visits of, apparitions; frequented by a ghost.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
In Falmouth Harbour is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #66520; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Lionel Johnson, In Falmouth Harbour, in Poems (1895), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66520, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/johnson-lionel-poems/in-falmouth-harbour.html, id L20707.
Form and metre
In Falmouth Harbour is 68 lines in 17 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 15 of its 17 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
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 ABAB belowA · lightB · flowA · nightB
- 2 -A-A stir · bayA · voyager · dayA
- 3 ABAB mastA · warnB · castA · mornB
- 4 ABAB townA · oarsB · downA · shoresB
- 5 ABAB bayA · landB · conveyA · strandB
- 6 ABAB descendA · farB · endA · areB
- 7 ABAB hourA · windB · powerA · mindB
- 8 ABAB seaA · barB · meA · starB
- 9 ABAB nayA · stillB · dayA · illB
- 10 ABAB lightA · hereB · nightA · clearB
- 11 ABAB dreamA · waveB · gleamA · graveB
- 12 ABAB borneA · failB · forlornA · sailB
- 13 -A-A sea · romeA · sicily · homeA
- 14 ABAB airsA · heartB · prayersA · partB
- 15 ABAB deadA · painB · headA · gainB
- 16 ABAB choiceA · lightsB · voiceA · unitesB
- 17 ABAB voiceA · increaseB · rejoiceA · peaceB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The large, calm harbour lies below | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Long, terraced lines of circling light: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Without, the deep sea currents flow: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And here are stars, and night. | 6 | ······ |
| No sight, no sound, no living stir, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| But such as perfect the still bay: | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| So hushed it is, the voyager | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Shrinks at the thought of day. | 6 | ······ |
| We glide by many a lanterned mast; | 8 | ···/·/˘· |
| Our mournful horns blow wild to warn | 8 | //˘····· |
| Yon looming pier: the sailors cast | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Their ropes, and watch for morn. | 6 | ······ |
| Strange murmurs from the sleeping town, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And sudden creak of lonely oars | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Crossing the water, travel down | 8 | /˘·/˘/˘· |
| The roadstead, the dim shores. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| A charm is on the silent bay; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Charms of the sea, charms of the land. | 8 | ········ |
| Memories of open wind convey | 8 | /˘·/˘·˘/ |
| Peace to this harbour strand. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Far off, Saint David's crags descend | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| On seas of desolate storm: and far | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| From this pure rest, the Land's drear End, | 8 | ········ |
| And ruining waters, are. | 7 | ·/˘˘/˘· |
| Well was it worth to have each hour | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Of high and perilous blowing wind: | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| For here, for now, deep peace hath power | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| To conquer the worn mind. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| I have passed over the rough sea, | 8 | ········ |
| And over the white harbour bar: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And this is Death's dreamland to me, | 8 | ····/··· |
| Led hither by a star. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And what shall dawn be? Hush thee, nay! | 8 | ········ |
| Soft, soft is night, and calm and still: | 8 | ········ |
| Save that day cometh, what of day | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Knowest thou: good, or ill? | 6 | /˘···· |
| Content thee! Not the annulling light | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Of any pitiless dawn is here; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Thou art alone with ancient night: | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| And all the stars are clear. | 6 | ······ |
| Only the night air, and the dream; | 8 | /˘······ |
| Only the far, sweet-smelling wave; | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| The stilly sounds, the circling gleam, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| And thine: and thine a grave. | 6 | ······ |
| Hence, by stern thoughts and strong winds borne, | 8 | ········ |
| Voyaged, with faith that could not fail, | 8 | /˘······ |
| Who cried: Lead, kindly Light! forlorn | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Beneath a stranger sail. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Becalmed upon a classic sea; | 8 | ˘/···/˘· |
| Wandering through eternal Rome; | 8 | /˘˘·˘/˘· |
| Fighting with Death in Sicily: | 8 | /˘···/˘˘ |
| He hungered for his home. | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| These northern waves, these island airs! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Dreams of these haunted his full heart: | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Their love inspired his songs and prayers, | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Bidding him play his part. | 6 | /˘···· |
| The freedom of the living dead; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The service of a living pain: | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| He chose between them, bowed his head, | 8 | ········ |
| And counted sorrow, gain. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Ah, sweetest soul of all! whose choice | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Was golden with the light of lights: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| But us doubt's melancholy voice, | 8 | ···/˘·˘· |
| Wandering in gloom, unites. | 7 | /˘˘··˘/ |
| Ah, sweetest soul of all! whose voice | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Hailed morning, and the sun's increase: | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| We of the restless night rejoice, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| We also, at thy peace. | 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.