Spring Star II
Beside her casement oped the maiden sits,Where the mild evening spirit of the SpringGently between the city's homesteads flitsTo kiss her brows, and floats on languid wing,Vague longings in her breast awakening.While her heart trembles 'neath those dim, deep skies,As the quick sea that 'neath the globed moon lies.
Where her eyes rest the full-orbed evening starBurns with white flame: it beckons, shrinks, dilates.She, dazzled by that shining world afar,May not withdraw her gaze: breathless she waits.Some promised joy from Heaven's very gatesUnto her soul seems proffered. When shall beThe bright fulfilment of that star's decree?
Nor glad nor sad is she: she doth not knowThat through the city's throng one threads his way,Thrilled likewise by that planet's mystic glow,And hastes to seek her. What sweet change shall swayHer spirit at his coming? What new rayUpon his shadowy life from her shall fall?The silent star burns on, and knoweth all.
Words in this poem
- casement n.
- A window sash opening on hinges affixed to the upright side of the frame into which it is fitted. (Poetically) A window. [Shortened fr. encasement. See Incase 1st Case, and cf. Incasement.]
- orbed a.
- Having the form of an orb; round.
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- breathless a.
- Spent with labor or violent action; out of breath.
- 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,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Spring Star II is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #3295; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Emma Lazarus, Spring Star II, in Poems, Volume I (1867–1887), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3295, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lazarus-poems/spring-star-ii.html, id L01909.
Form and metre
Spring Star II is 21 lines in 3 stanzas of 7 lines each. It is in rhyming couplets, 57% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 95% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.0 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 38% 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 -A-AABB sits · springA · flits · wingA · awakeningA · skiesB · liesB
- 2 A-ABBCC starA · dilates · afarA · waitsB · gatesB · beC · decreeC
- 3 ABABBCC knowA · wayB · glowA · swayB · rayB · fallC · allC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Beside her casement oped the maiden sits, | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Where the mild evening spirit of the Spring | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Gently between the city's homesteads flits | 10 | /˘···/˘/·· |
| To kiss her brows, and floats on languid wing, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Vague longings in her breast awakening. | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘˘ |
| While her heart trembles 'neath those dim, deep skies, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| As the quick sea that 'neath the globed moon lies. | 10 | ·········· |
| Where her eyes rest the full-orbed evening star | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Burns with white flame: it beckons, shrinks, dilates. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| She, dazzled by that shining world afar, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| May not withdraw her gaze: breathless she waits. | 10 | ··˘/··/˘·· |
| Some promised joy from Heaven's very gates | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Unto her soul seems proffered. When shall be | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| The bright fulfilment of that star's decree? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Nor glad nor sad is she: she doth not know | 10 | ·········· |
| That through the city's throng one threads his way, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Thrilled likewise by that planet's mystic glow, | 10 | ·/···/˘/˘· |
| And hastes to seek her. What sweet change shall sway | 10 | ·········· |
| Her spirit at his coming? What new ray | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Upon his shadowy life from her shall fall? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The silent star burns on, and knoweth all. | 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.