Charlemagne
Olger the Dane and Desiderio,King of the Lombards, on a lofty towerStood gazing northward o'er the rolling plains,League after league of harvests, to the footOf the snow-crested Alps, and saw approachA mighty army, thronging all the roadsThat led into the city. And the KingSaid unto Olger, who had passed his youthAs hostage at the court of France, and knewThe Emperor's form and face "Is CharlemagneAmong that host?" And Olger answered: "No."
And still the innumerable multitudeFlowed onward and increased, until the KingCried in amazement: "Surely CharlemagneIs coming in the midst of all these knights!"And Olger answered slowly: "No; not yet;He will not come so soon." Then much disturbedKing Desiderio asked: "What shall we do,if he approach with a still greater army!"And Olger answered: "When he shall appear,You will behold what manner of man he is;But what will then befall us I know not."
Then came the guard that never knew repose,The Paladins of France; and at the sightThe Lombard King o'ercome with terror cried:"This must be Charlemagne!" and as beforeDid Olger answer: "No; not yet, not yet."
And then appeared in panoply completeThe Bishops and the Abbots and the PriestsOf the imperial chapel, and the CountsAnd Desiderio could no more endureThe light of day, nor yet encounter death,But sobbed aloud and said: "Let us go downAnd hide us in the bosom of the earth,Far from the sight and anger of a foeSo terrible as this!" And Olger said:"When you behold the harvests in the fieldsShaking with fear, the Po and the TicinoLashing the city walls with iron waves,Then may you know that Charlemagne is come.And even as he spake, in the northwest,Lo! there uprose a black and threatening cloud,Out of whose bosom flashed the light of armsUpon the people pent up in the city;A light more terrible than any darkness;And Charlemagne appeared;--a Man of Iron!
His helmet was of iron, and his glovesOf iron, and his breastplate and his greavesAnd tassets were of iron, and his shield.In his left hand he held an iron spear,In his right hand his sword invincible.The horse he rode on had the strength of iron,And color of iron. All who went before himBeside him and behind him, his whole host,Were armed with iron, and their hearts within themWere stronger than the armor that they wore.The fields and all the roads were filled with iron,And points of iron glistened in the sunAnd shed a terror through the city streets.
This at a single glance Olger the DaneSaw from the tower, and turning to the KingExclaimed in haste: "Behold! this is the manYou looked for with such eagerness!" and thenFell as one dead at Desiderio's feet.
Words in this poem
- dane n.
- A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane. [LL. Dani: cf. AS. Dene.]
- northward a.
- Toward the north; nearer to the north than to the east or west point. [AS. noredhweard.]
- hostage n.
- A person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or stipulations of any kind, on the performance of which the person is to be released. [OE. hostage, OF. hostage, ostage, F. ôtage, LL. hostaticus, ostaticum, for hospitaticum, fr. L. hospes guest, host. The first meaning is, the state of a guest, ]
- amazement n.
- The condition of being amazed; bewilderment ; overwhelming wonder, as from surprise, sudden fear, horror, or admiration.
- 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,]
- lombard a.
- Of or pertaining to Lombardy, or the inhabitants of Lombardy.
- panoply n.
- Defensive armor in general; a full suit of defensive armor.
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- lashing n.
- The act of one who, or that which, lashes; castigation; chastisement. South. Lashing out, a striking out; also, extravagance.
- pent p. p.
- Penned or shut up; confined; -- often with up. [From Pen, v. t.]
- greaves n.
- The sediment of melted tallow. It is made into cakes for dogs' food. In Scotland it is called cracklings. [Cf. dial. Sw. grevar greaves, LG. greven, G. griebe, also AS. greofa pot. Cf. Gravy.]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Charlemagne is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Project Gutenberg ebook #1365; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Charlemagne, in The Complete Poetical Works (1839–1882), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1365, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/longfellow-poems/charlemagne.html, id L17692.
Form and metre
Charlemagne is 64 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 9 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 50% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
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.
- 5 -----A----AA- gloves · greaves · shield · spear · invincible · ironA · him · host · them · wore · ironA · sunA · streets
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Olger the Dane and Desiderio, | 9 | ·····˘˘/˘ |
| King of the Lombards, on a lofty tower | 10 | ···/˘··/˘/ |
| Stood gazing northward o'er the rolling plains, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| League after league of harvests, to the foot | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Of the snow-crested Alps, and saw approach | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| A mighty army, thronging all the roads | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| That led into the city. And the King | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Said unto Olger, who had passed his youth | 10 | ·········· |
| As hostage at the court of France, and knew | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The Emperor's form and face "Is Charlemagne | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Among that host?" And Olger answered: "No." | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And still the innumerable multitude | 9 | ···˘/˘/˘· |
| Flowed onward and increased, until the King | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Cried in amazement: "Surely Charlemagne | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| Is coming in the midst of all these knights!" | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And Olger answered slowly: "No; not yet; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| He will not come so soon." Then much disturbed | 10 | ········˘/ |
| King Desiderio asked: "What shall we do, | 9 | ·˘/˘····· |
| if he approach with a still greater army!" | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| And Olger answered: "When he shall appear, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| You will behold what manner of man he is; | 11 | ··˘/·/˘···· |
| But what will then befall us I know not." | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Then came the guard that never knew repose, | 9 | ·····/·˘/ |
| The Paladins of France; and at the sight | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| The Lombard King o'ercome with terror cried: | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| "This must be Charlemagne!" and as before | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Did Olger answer: "No; not yet, not yet." | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And then appeared in panoply complete | 9 | ··˘/·/˘˘/ |
| The Bishops and the Abbots and the Priests | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Of the imperial chapel, and the Counts | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| And Desiderio could no more endure | 9 | ·˘/˘···˘/ |
| The light of day, nor yet encounter death, | 9 | ······˘/· |
| But sobbed aloud and said: "Let us go down | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| And hide us in the bosom of the earth, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Far from the sight and anger of a foe | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| So terrible as this!" And Olger said: | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| "When you behold the harvests in the fields | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Shaking with fear, the Po and the Ticino | 11 | /˘········· |
| Lashing the city walls with iron waves, | 9 | /˘·/˘··/· |
| Then may you know that Charlemagne is come. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And even as he spake, in the northwest, | 9 | ·/······/ |
| Lo! there uprose a black and threatening cloud, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Out of whose bosom flashed the light of arms | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Upon the people pent up in the city; | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| A light more terrible than any darkness; | 10 | ···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| And Charlemagne appeared;--a Man of Iron! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···/ |
| His helmet was of iron, and his gloves | 9 | ·/˘··/··· |
| Of iron, and his breastplate and his greaves | 9 | ·/··/···· |
| And tassets were of iron, and his shield. | 9 | ·····/··· |
| In his left hand he held an iron spear, | 9 | ·······/· |
| In his right hand his sword invincible. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| The horse he rode on had the strength of iron, | 10 | ·········/ |
| And color of iron. All who went before him | 11 | ·/˘·/······ |
| Beside him and behind him, his whole host, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Were armed with iron, and their hearts within them | 10 | ···/······ |
| Were stronger than the armor that they wore. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The fields and all the roads were filled with iron, | 10 | ·········/ |
| And points of iron glistened in the sun | 9 | ···//˘··· |
| And shed a terror through the city streets. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| This at a single glance Olger the Dane | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Saw from the tower, and turning to the King | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| Exclaimed in haste: "Behold! this is the man | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| You looked for with such eagerness!" and then | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Fell as one dead at Desiderio's feet. | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
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