Individuality
Sail on, sail on, fair cousin Cloud:Oh loiter hither from the sea.Still-eyed and shadow-brow'd,Steal off from yon far-drifting crowd,And come and brood upon the marsh with me.
Yon laboring low horizon-smoke,Yon stringent sail, toil not for theeNor me; did heaven's strokeThe whole deep with drown'd commerce choke,No pitiless tease of risk or bottomry
Would to thy rainy office closeThy will, or lock mine eyes from tears,Part wept for traders'-woes,Part for that ventures mean as thoseIn issue bind such sovereign hopes and fears.
-- Lo, Cloud, thy downward countenance staresBlank on the blank-faced marsh, and thouMindest of dark affairs;Thy substance seems a warp of cares;Like late wounds run the wrinkles on thy brow.
Well may'st thou pause, and gloom, and stare,A visible conscience: I arraignThee, criminal Cloud, of rareContempts on Mercy, Right, and Prayer, --Of murders, arsons, thefts, -- of nameless stain.
(Yet though life's logic grow as grayAs thou, my soul's not in eclipse.)Cold Cloud, but yesterdayThy lightning slew a child at play,And then a priest with prayers upon his lips
For his enemies, and then a brightLady that did but ope the doorUpon the storming nightTo let a beggar in, -- strange spite, --And then thy sulky rain refused to pour
Till thy quick torch a barn had burnedWhere twelve months' store of victual lay,A widow's sons had earned;Which done, thy floods with winds returned, --The river raped their little herd away.
What myriad righteous errands highThy flames MIGHT run on! In that hourThou slewest the child, oh whyNot rather slay Calamity,Breeder of Pain and Doubt, infernal Power?
Or why not plunge thy blades aboutSome maggot politician throngSwarming to parcel outThe body of a land, and routThe maw-conventicle, and ungorge Wrong?
What the cloud doethThe Lord knoweth,The cloud knoweth not.What the artist doeth,The Lord knoweth;Knoweth the artist not?
Well-answered! -- O dear artists, ye-- Whether in forms of curve or hueOr tone your gospels be --Say wrong `This work is not of me,But God:' it is not true, it is not true.
Awful is Art because 'tis free.The artist trembles o'er his planWhere men his Self must see.Who made a song or picture, heDid it, and not another, God nor man.
My Lord is large, my Lord is strong:Giving, He gave: my me is mine.How poor, how strange, how wrong,To dream He wrote the little songI made to Him with love's unforced design!
Oh, not as clouds dim laws have plann'dTo strike down Good and fight for Ill, --Oh, not as harps that standIn the wind and sound the wind's command:Each artist -- gift of terror! -- owns his will.
For thee, Cloud, -- if thou spend thine allUpon the South's o'er-brimming seaThat needs thee not; or crawlTo the dry provinces, and fallTill every convert clod shall give to thee
Green worship; if thou grow or fade,Bring on delight or misery,Fly east or west, be madeSnow, hail, rain, wind, grass, rose, light, shade;What matters it to thee? There is no thee.
Pass, kinsman Cloud, now fair and mild:Discharge the will that's not thine own.I work in freedom wild,But work, as plays a little child,Sure of the Father, Self, and Love, alone.
Over the monstrous shambling sea,Over the Caliban sea,Bright Ariel-cloud, thou lingerest:Oh wait, oh wait, in the warm red West, --Thy Prospero I'll be.
Over the humped and fishy sea,Over the Caliban seaO cloud in the West, like a thought in the heartOf pardon, loose thy wing, and start,And do a grace for me.
Over the huge and huddling sea,Over the Caliban sea,Bring hither my brother Antonio, -- Man, --My injurer: night breaks the ban;Brother, I pardon thee.
Words in this poem 21
- laboring a.
- That labors; performing labor; esp., performing coarse, heavy work, not requiring skill also, set apart for labor; as, laboring days.
- stringent a.
- Binding strongly; making strict requirements; restrictive; rigid; severe; as, stringent rules. [L. stringens, -entis, p.pr. of stringere to draw or bind tight. See Strain.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- arraign v. t.
- To call or set as a prisoner at the bar of a court to answer to the matter charged in an indictment or complaint. Blackstone. [OE. arainen, arenen, OF. aragnier, aranier, araisnier, F. arraisonner, fr. LL. arrationare to address to call before court; L. ad + ratio reason, reasoning, LL.]
- nameless a.
- Without a name; not having been given a name; as, a nameless star.
- storming a.
- from Storm, v. Storming party (Mil.), a party assigned to the duty of making the first assault in storming a fortress.
- victual n.
- Food; -- now used chiefly in the plural. See Victuals. 2 Chron.
- myriad n.
- The number of ten thousand; ten thousand persons or things. [Gr. myriade.]
- breeder n.
- One who, or that which, breeds, produces, brings up, etc.
- maggot n.
- The footless larva of any fly. See Larval. [W. macai, pl. maceiod, magiod, a worn or grub; cf. magu to bread.]
- artist n.
- One who practices some mechanic art or craft; an artisan. [F. artiste, LL. artista, fr. L. ars. See Art, n., and cf. Artiste.]
- wrote v. i.
- To root with the snout. See 1st Root. [OE. wroten. See 1st Root.]
- brimming a.
- Full to the brim; overflowing.
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- crawl v. i.
- To move slowly by drawing the body along the ground, as a worm; to move slowly on hands and kness; to creep. [Dan. kravle, or Icel. krafla, to paw, scrabble with the hands; akin to Sw. kr to crawl; cf. LG. krabbeln, D. krabbelen to scratch.]
- clod n.
- A lump or mass, especially of earth, turf, or clay. [OE. clodde, latter form of clot. See Clot.]
- 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,]
- kinsman n.
- A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
- shambling a.
- Characterized by an awkward, irregular pace; as, a shambling trot; shambling legs.
- fishy a.
- Consisting of fish; fishlike; having the qualities or taste of fish; abounding in fish.
- injurer n.
- One who injures or wrongs.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Individuality is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Sidney Lanier, Project Gutenberg ebook #579; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Sidney Lanier, Individuality, in Poems (1884), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #579, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lanier-poems/individuality.html, id L07606.
Form and metre
Individuality is 106 lines in 21 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB, complete in 14 of its 21 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 93% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.0 syllables. 10 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 38% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 ABAAB cloudA · seaB · brow'dA · crowdA · meB
- 2 A-AA- smokeA · thee · strokeA · chokeA · bottomry
- 3 ABAAB closeA · tearsB · woesA · thoseA · fearsB
- 4 ABAAB staresA · thouB · affairsA · caresA · browB
- 5 ABAAB stareA · arraignB · rareA · prayerA · stainB
- 6 ABAAB grayA · eclipseB · yesterdayA · playA · lipsB
- 7 ABAAB brightA · doorB · nightA · spiteA · pourB
- 8 ABAAB burnedA · layB · earnedA · returnedA · awayB
- 9 ABA-B highA · hourB · whyA · calamity · powerB
- 10 ABAAB aboutA · throngB · outA · routA · wrongB
- 11 ABCABC doethA · knowethB · notC · doethA · knowethB · notC
- 12 ABAAB yeA · hueB · beA · meA · trueB
- 13 ABAAB freeA · planB · seeA · heA · manB
- 14 ABAAB strongA · mineB · wrongA · songA · designB
- 15 ABAAB plann'dA · illB · standA · commandA · willB
- 16 ABAAB allA · seaB · crawlA · fallA · theeB
- 17 A-AA- fadeA · misery · madeA · shadeA · thee
- 18 ABAAB mildA · ownB · wildA · childA · aloneB
- 19 AABBA seaA · seaA · lingerestB · westB · beA
- 20 AABBA seaA · seaA · heartB · startB · meA
- 21 AABBA seaA · seaA · manB · banB · theeA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sail on, sail on, fair cousin Cloud: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Oh loiter hither from the sea. | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Still-eyed and shadow-brow'd, | 6 | ···/·· |
| Steal off from yon far-drifting crowd, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And come and brood upon the marsh with me. | 10 | ·········· |
| Yon laboring low horizon-smoke, | 9 | ·/˘˘·˘/˘· |
| Yon stringent sail, toil not for thee | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Nor me; did heaven's stroke | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The whole deep with drown'd commerce choke, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| No pitiless tease of risk or bottomry | 11 | ·/˘˘····/˘˘ |
| Would to thy rainy office close | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Thy will, or lock mine eyes from tears, | 8 | ········ |
| Part wept for traders'-woes, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Part for that ventures mean as those | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| In issue bind such sovereign hopes and fears. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| -- Lo, Cloud, thy downward countenance stares | 9 | ···/˘/˘˘· |
| Blank on the blank-faced marsh, and thou | 9 | ·····˘··· |
| Mindest of dark affairs; | 6 | /˘··˘/ |
| Thy substance seems a warp of cares; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Like late wounds run the wrinkles on thy brow. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Well may'st thou pause, and gloom, and stare, | 8 | ········ |
| A visible conscience: I arraign | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘·˘/ |
| Thee, criminal Cloud, of rare | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
| Contempts on Mercy, Right, and Prayer, -- | 8 | ˘/·/˘··· |
| Of murders, arsons, thefts, -- of nameless stain. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| (Yet though life's logic grow as gray | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| As thou, my soul's not in eclipse.) | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Cold Cloud, but yesterday | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Thy lightning slew a child at play, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And then a priest with prayers upon his lips | 10 | ·········· |
| For his enemies, and then a bright | 9 | ··/˘˘···· |
| Lady that did but ope the door | 8 | /˘······ |
| Upon the storming night | 6 | ···/˘· |
| To let a beggar in, -- strange spite, -- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And then thy sulky rain refused to pour | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Till thy quick torch a barn had burned | 9 | ········˘ |
| Where twelve months' store of victual lay, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| A widow's sons had earned; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Which done, thy floods with winds returned, -- | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| The river raped their little herd away. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| What myriad righteous errands high | 9 | ·/˘˘/˘/˘· |
| Thy flames MIGHT run on! In that hour | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Thou slewest the child, oh why | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Not rather slay Calamity, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Breeder of Pain and Doubt, infernal Power? | 11 | /˘····˘/˘/˘ |
| Or why not plunge thy blades about | 8 | ········ |
| Some maggot politician throng | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Swarming to parcel out | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| The body of a land, and rout | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The maw-conventicle, and ungorge Wrong? | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| What the cloud doeth | 4 | ···· |
| The Lord knoweth, | 4 | ··/˘ |
| The cloud knoweth not. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| What the artist doeth, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| The Lord knoweth; | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Knoweth the artist not? | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Well-answered! -- O dear artists, ye | 9 | ·/˘˘··/˘· |
| -- Whether in forms of curve or hue | 8 | ········ |
| Or tone your gospels be -- | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Say wrong `This work is not of me, | 8 | ········ |
| But God:' it is not true, it is not true. | 10 | ·········· |
| Awful is Art because 'tis free. | 8 | /˘······ |
| The artist trembles o'er his plan | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Where men his Self must see. | 6 | ······ |
| Who made a song or picture, he | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Did it, and not another, God nor man. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| My Lord is large, my Lord is strong: | 8 | ········ |
| Giving, He gave: my me is mine. | 8 | /˘······ |
| How poor, how strange, how wrong, | 6 | ······ |
| To dream He wrote the little song | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| I made to Him with love's unforced design! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Oh, not as clouds dim laws have plann'd | 8 | ········ |
| To strike down Good and fight for Ill, -- | 8 | ········ |
| Oh, not as harps that stand | 6 | ······ |
| In the wind and sound the wind's command: | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| Each artist -- gift of terror! -- owns his will. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| For thee, Cloud, -- if thou spend thine all | 8 | ········ |
| Upon the South's o'er-brimming sea | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| That needs thee not; or crawl | 6 | ······ |
| To the dry provinces, and fall | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Till every convert clod shall give to thee | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Green worship; if thou grow or fade, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Bring on delight or misery, | 8 | ··˘/·/˘˘ |
| Fly east or west, be made | 6 | ······ |
| Snow, hail, rain, wind, grass, rose, light, shade; | 8 | ········ |
| What matters it to thee? There is no thee. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Pass, kinsman Cloud, now fair and mild: | 8 | ·/······ |
| Discharge the will that's not thine own. | 8 | ˘/······ |
| I work in freedom wild, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| But work, as plays a little child, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Sure of the Father, Self, and Love, alone. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Over the monstrous shambling sea, | 9 | ···/˘/˘˘· |
| Over the Caliban sea, | 7 | ······· |
| Bright Ariel-cloud, thou lingerest: | 9 | ·/˘˘··/˘˘ |
| Oh wait, oh wait, in the warm red West, -- | 9 | ········· |
| Thy Prospero I'll be. | 6 | ······ |
| Over the humped and fishy sea, | 9 | ····˘·/˘· |
| Over the Caliban sea | 7 | ······· |
| O cloud in the West, like a thought in the heart | 11 | ··········· |
| Of pardon, loose thy wing, and start, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| And do a grace for me. | 6 | ······ |
| Over the huge and huddling sea, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Over the Caliban sea, | 7 | ······· |
| Bring hither my brother Antonio, -- Man, -- | 10 | ·/˘·/˘˘/˘· |
| My injurer: night breaks the ban; | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Brother, I pardon thee. | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
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