On Galla
Now liquid Streams by the fierce Cold do growAs solid as the Rocks from whence they flow;Now Tibers Banks with Ice united meet,And it's firm Stream may well be term'd its Street;Now Vot'ries 'fore the Shrines like Statues show,And scarce the Men from Images we know;Now Winters Palsey seizes ev'ry Age,And none's so warm, but feels the Seasons Rage;Even the bright Lillies and triumphant RedWhich o're Corinna's youthful cheeks are spred,Look pale and bleak, and shew a purple hew,And Violets staine, where Roses lately grew.Galla alone, with wonder we behold,Maintain her Spring, and still out-brave the Cold;Her constant white does not to Frost give place,Nor fresh Vermillion fade upon her face:Sure Divine beauty in this Dame does shine?Not Humane, one reply'd, yet not Divine.
Words in this poem
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- shew n.
- Show. [Obs. except in shewbread.]
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- humane a.
- Pertaining to man; human. Jer. Taylor. [L. humanus: cf. F. humain. See Human.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Galla is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems (1686), Project Gutenberg ebook #41076; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anne Killigrew, On Galla, in Poems (1686) (1686), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #41076, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/killigrew-poems/on-galla.html, id L09196.
Form and metre
On Galla is 18 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 89% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 90% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.9 syllables. 11% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 AABBAACC--DDEEFFGG growA · flowA · meetB · streetB · showA · knowA · ageC · rageC · red · spred · hewD · grewD · beholdE · coldE · placeF · faceF · shineG · divineG
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Now liquid Streams by the fierce Cold do grow | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| As solid as the Rocks from whence they flow; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Now Tibers Banks with Ice united meet, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| And it's firm Stream may well be term'd its Street; | 10 | ·········· |
| Now Vot'ries 'fore the Shrines like Statues show, | 9 | ······/·· |
| And scarce the Men from Images we know; | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Now Winters Palsey seizes ev'ry Age, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And none's so warm, but feels the Seasons Rage; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Even the bright Lillies and triumphant Red | 10 | /··/˘·˘/˘· |
| Which o're Corinna's youthful cheeks are spred, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Look pale and bleak, and shew a purple hew, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And Violets staine, where Roses lately grew. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Galla alone, with wonder we behold, | 10 | /˘˘/·/˘·˘/ |
| Maintain her Spring, and still out-brave the Cold; | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Her constant white does not to Frost give place, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Nor fresh Vermillion fade upon her face: | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Sure Divine beauty in this Dame does shine? | 10 | ·˘//˘····· |
| Not Humane, one reply'd, yet not Divine. | 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.