An Astrologer's Song
To the Heavens above usO look and beholdThe Planets that love usAll harnessed in gold!What chariots, what horses,Against us shall bideWhile the Stars in their coursesDo fight on our side?
All thought, all desires,That are under the sun,Are one with their fires,As we also are one.All matter, all spirit,All fashion, all frame,Receive and inheritTheir strength from the same.
Oh, man that deniestAll power save thine own,Their power in the highestIs mightily shown.Not less in the lowestThat power is made clear(Oh, man, if thou knowest,What treasure is here!)
Earth quakes in her throesAnd we wonder for why.But the blind planet knowsWhen her ruler is nigh;And, attuned since CreationTo perfect accord,She thrills in her stationAnd yearns to her Lord.
The waters have risen,The springs are unbound--The floods break their prison,And ravin around.No rampart withstands 'em,Their fury will last,Till the Sign that commands 'emSinks low or swings past.
Through abysses unproven,O'er gulfs beyond thought,Our portion is woven,Our burden is brought.Yet They that prepare it,Whose Nature we share,Make us who must bear itWell able to bear.
Though terrors o'ertake usWe'll not be afraid.No Power can unmake usSave that which has made.Nor yet beyond reasonOr hope shall we fall--All things have their season,And Mercy crowns all!
Then, doubt not, ye fearful--The Eternal is King--Up, heart, and be cheerful,And lustily sing:--What chariots, what horses,Against us shall bideWhile the Stars in their coursesDo fight on our side?
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- bide v. i.
- To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay. [OE. biden, AS. bidan; akin to OHG. bitan, Goth. beidan, Icel. bi; perh. orig., to wait with trust, and akin to bid. See Bid, v. t., and cf. Abide.]
- mightily adv.
- In a mighty manner; with might; with great earnestness; vigorously; powerfully. [From Mighty.]
- ravin n.
- Food obtained by violence; plunder; prey; raven. [See 2d Raven.]
- unmake v. t.
- To destroy the form and qualities of; to deprive of being; to uncreate. [1st pref. un- + make.]
- lustily adv.
- In a lusty or vigorous manner.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
An Astrologer's Song is in the public domain. This text is taken from Songs from Books, Project Gutenberg ebook #15529; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rudyard Kipling, An Astrologer's Song, in Songs from Books (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #15529, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-songs-from-books/an-astrologer-s-song.html, id L20372.
Form and metre
An Astrologer's Song is 64 lines in 8 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 5 of its 8 stanzas. The metre is anapaestic dimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
See other poems in anapaestic dimeter.
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 ABABCDCD usA · beholdB · usA · goldB · horsesC · bideD · coursesC · sideD
- 2 ABAB-C-C desiresA · sunB · firesA · oneB · spirit · frameC · inherit · sameC
- 3 ABABAC-C deniestA · ownB · highestA · shownB · lowestA · clearC · knowest · hereC
- 4 ABABCDCD throesA · whyB · knowsA · nighB · creationC · accordD · stationC · lordD
- 5 ABABCDCD risenA · unboundB · prisonA · aroundB · emC · lastD · emC · pastD
- 6 -A-ABCBC unproven · thoughtA · woven · broughtA · itB · shareC · itB · bearC
- 7 ABABCDCD usA · afraidB · usA · madeB · reasonC · fallD · seasonC · allD
- 8 ABABCDCD fearfulA · kingB · cheerfulA · singB · horsesC · bideD · coursesC · sideD
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 anapaestic dimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| To the Heavens above us | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| O look and behold | 5 | ···˘/ |
| The Planets that love us | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| All harnessed in gold! | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| What chariots, what horses, | 7 | ·/˘˘·/˘ |
| Against us shall bide | 5 | ····· |
| While the Stars in their courses | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Do fight on our side? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| All thought, all desires, | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| That are under the sun, | 6 | ······ |
| Are one with their fires, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| As we also are one. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| All matter, all spirit, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| All fashion, all frame, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Receive and inherit | 6 | ˘/·˘/˘ |
| Their strength from the same. | 5 | ····· |
| Oh, man that deniest | 5 | ····· |
| All power save thine own, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Their power in the highest | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Is mightily shown. | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| Not less in the lowest | 6 | ····/˘ |
| That power is made clear | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| (Oh, man, if thou knowest, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| What treasure is here!) | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Earth quakes in her throes | 5 | ····· |
| And we wonder for why. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| But the blind planet knows | 6 | ···/˘· |
| When her ruler is nigh; | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| And, attuned since Creation | 7 | ·˘/·˘/˘ |
| To perfect accord, | 5 | ·˘/˘/ |
| She thrills in her station | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And yearns to her Lord. | 5 | ····· |
| The waters have risen, | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| The springs are unbound-- | 5 | ···˘/ |
| The floods break their prison, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And ravin around. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| No rampart withstands 'em, | 6 | ·/˘˘/· |
| Their fury will last, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Till the Sign that commands 'em | 7 | ····˘/· |
| Sinks low or swings past. | 5 | ····· |
| Through abysses unproven, | 7 | ·˘/˘˘/˘ |
| O'er gulfs beyond thought, | 5 | ····· |
| Our portion is woven, | 7 | /˘/˘·/˘ |
| Our burden is brought. | 6 | /˘/˘·· |
| Yet They that prepare it, | 6 | ···˘/· |
| Whose Nature we share, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Make us who must bear it | 6 | ······ |
| Well able to bear. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Though terrors o'ertake us | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| We'll not be afraid. | 5 | ···˘/ |
| No Power can unmake us | 6 | ·/·˘/· |
| Save that which has made. | 5 | ····· |
| Nor yet beyond reason | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Or hope shall we fall-- | 5 | ····· |
| All things have their season, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And Mercy crowns all! | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Then, doubt not, ye fearful-- | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The Eternal is King-- | 6 | ·˘/˘·· |
| Up, heart, and be cheerful, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| And lustily sing:-- | 5 | ·/˘˘· |
| What chariots, what horses, | 7 | ·/˘˘·/˘ |
| Against us shall bide | 5 | ····· |
| While the Stars in their courses | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Do fight on our side? | 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.